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Shake Shack collaborating with regional chefs

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February 22, 2021

Shake Shack is partnering with well-known chefs and restaurateurs across the U.S. as part of its, "Now Serving: A Collab Series by Shake Shack." The series features exclusive menu items developed by several chefs available at Shake Shack for a limited time, with a portion of net proceeds benefiting local nonprofits helping those in the restaurant community, according to a company press release.

The series kicks off March 4 in Houston with Chris Shepherd, owner and executive chef of Underbelly Hospitality, who has teamed up with Shake Shack on the Southern Smoke Chicken: a crispy chicken breast sandwich served with Shepherd's spicy bacon jam, pickled jalapeño mustard, cherry peppers and shredded lettuce. Net proceeds from the collaboration will go toward Shepherd's own Southern Smoke Foundation, a crisis relief organization for people in the food and beverage industry co-founded by Shepherd.

Other collaborations include:

• Pinky Cole of Slutty Vegan in Atlanta. (April)
• Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn in San Francisco. (July)
• Junghyun Park of Atoboy and Atomix in New York. (May)
• Joseph "JJ" Johnson of Fieldtrip in New York. (September)
• Sarah Grueneberg of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio in Chicago. (June)

Portions of net proceeds from each collaboration go to the local nonprofit of the chef's choosing, and each collaboration also includes free exclusive swag with each order.

"It's been so much fun working with Shake Shack on a collaborative sandwich to benefit Southern Smoke," Shepherd said in the release. "Our industry continues to struggle, and the money raised from this sandwich will help food and beverage workers in crisis. Houstonians have such huge hearts - and appetites - so I hope they come out to eat for a cause and raise funds to support our industry."

Shake Shack has participated in collaborations with chefs and notable industry veterans over the years, including Dominique Ansel in March 2019 and Bar Sardine's Gabriel Stulman in October 2020.

"We're thrilled to partner with some of the best chefs in the country for this series while giving back to the restaurant community during these difficult times," Mark Rosati, culinary director at Shake Shack. "We love crafting fun, delicious menu items in an elevated way, inspired by our fine dining roots and with an emphasis on premium ingredients. Now Serving brings together a unique vision and style from top chefs who share our passion and commitment, paired with our roadside-inspired classics, and we can't wait to show our Shack fans what we're cooking up."