Chug for Charity: Slow Boat Hosts Table at SWITCH!

If there's anything better than eating great food for a couple great causes, it probably has to do with throwing back a beer (or three) while you're at it. An integral part of Beijing's growing craft beer fleet, Slow Boat's here to party with a keg at SWITCH! Cafe and the affable Chandler Jurinka and the lovely Sallie Baxter presiding over the festivities. See what they have to say about the night, then head over to the CFFC website to book at their table.

What's your history with Chi Fan For Charity?
Slow Boat has not previously been involved with CFFC, but we were very eager to join the cause this year. To participate in this year's CFFC event, Slow Boat decided to host the table at SWITCH! Cafe and donate a keg of beer for diners to enjoy during the meal.

What motivated you to join in on CFFC?
We think it's very important to be involved in the community and give back to the community that supports us. As a beer company, we wanted to support CFFC in any way we could, so partnering with a high quality restaurant like SWITCH! Cafe to provide the food while we provide the beer made perfect sense.

What are the most important reasons to support the Starfish Project and the Little Flowers Project?
Both of these projects are equally important. Each approaches developmental issues from a different perspective. Empowering women by teaching them to become self-sustaining as The Starfish Project is doing is incredibly important for sustainable development within families and communities. Teaching women a skill that allows them to make a living not only strengthens the women but also helps them build a stronger foundation for their families to grown on. Little Flower Projects is equally as important as it takes a longer term approach to creating a harmonious society by investing in children in need.

What cause would you most like to Chi Fan for?
We would pick the China Children's and Teenagers Fund. Similar to other charities Chifan has supported, it also benefits women and children from impoverished backgrounds. The CCTF employs comprehensive training programs to teach women a range of skills that can help these women find employment and support their families.

There are so many restaurants taking part - why should diners choose to sit at your table?
Chandler and I have never met a person or a beer we didn't like. We're fun-loving people who enjoy sparking up conversations with new people. In addition to our lovely company, diners at our table will get to enjoy Slow Boat beer during our dinner accompanied by the delicious food that SWITCH! Cafe will be serving.

Sometimes people find charity events stuffy, pretentious and uncomfortable. What would you say to those people?
What Chifan for Charity does is lower the barriers to participation in all of these worthy causes. It puts like-minded people together in hopes of creating a better community. It's not meant to make anyone feel out of place but rather to offer people a chance to give back and contribute to a worthy cause.

If you could go to any restaurant for CFFC 2012 which would it be?
We picked SWITCH! Cafe because we're a fan of their excellent food and service, but if SWITCH! Cafe wasn't available, we'd choose to dine at Susu. Susu's food is authentic and well-prepared by expert Vietnamese chefs, and the beautifully renovated courtyard provides the perfect setting to enjoy their food in.

Who would be your dream CFFC 2012 host?
Garrett Oliver. He's a well known brewer in the beer world, as well as a beer and food connoisseur. He would be a great person to host a CFFC dinner as he's incredibly knowledgeable about how beer pairs with different foods and has even written a couple books on the subject.

Besides eating, how else have you been involved with charity?
Everyone in the Slow Boat team has been involved in a range of charity organizations well before our days in China, and we all feel that it's very important to remain active in the community and give back in whatever way possible. That's why we were all excited to start participating with CFFC this year and to build longer-lasting ties with the organization.

Chi Fan for Charity takes place Saturday, Nov 10. A seat at SWITCH! will set you back RMB 500 – one of the great values of the night. As with all the restaurants, booking a seat includes entry to the CFFC after-party at Hatsune, which begins at 10pm.

Photo: Courtesy of Slow Boat Brewery