Lipton® Inspires Great Mealtime Moments With Lipton's Chef Fest Featuring Michael Symon And Celebrity Friends

PURCHASE, N.Y., May 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lipton is encouraging people to pull up a chair and reconnect with friends and family in a meaningful way through Lipton's Chef Fest, a series of experiential dining events designed to infuse excitement into everyday meals.

Lipton's Chef Fest events, which will be hosted by celebrity chef Michael Symon and feature appearances from other celebrity friends, will coincide with new recipes and digital content via a multi-platform, culinary-focused partnership with Food Network, leveraging the brand's digital assets. 

The focus on mealtime comes from Lipton's belief that the difference between an ordinary meal and a great meal is the combination of the right ingredients and moments around the table with friends and family.

"Today's world can be hectic and impersonal, making it easy for us to miss out on what really matters," said Melanie Watts, director of marketing for Lipton. "At Lipton, we know that refreshing iced tea goes great with meals and is the perfect complement to great times around the table. That's why this summer and fall, we are using this inspiration to help people create great mealtime moments."

Lipton's Chef Fest events will kick off this fall in Chicago, Washington D.C., Austin, Texas, and Atlanta and will feature celebrity guests, local tastemakers, mixologists, live music and delicious meals paired with Lipton Iced Tea. Michael Symon will host each event. Additional celebrity guests, to be announced separately, will also join the events.

"There's nothing I love more than the stories and traditions that come from gathering with friends and family for delicious food and a lot of laughs. That's why I'm so excited to be a part of Lipton's Chef Fest," said Symon. "We hope that these events will help people pause, take a break and really savor those important mealtime moments." 

The events align with Lipton's brand philosophy, which encourages people to take time to engage with others and enjoy the world around them. With Lipton Iced Tea, people can unlock experiences, creativity and inspiration, whether it's playtime, mealtime, travel time or anytime in between.

All summer long, people can enter for a chance to win a trip to one of the four dining stops by posting a photo of their favorite meal and Lipton combination and tagging @Lipton with #LiptonChefSweeps on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. People can also visit LiptonBrightBites.com, hosted in partnership with Food Network, for recipes from Symon and a new content series starring him and other celebrity guests.

"At Food Network, we know that great things can happen when people come together over a great meal," said Deb Puchalla, vice president, content development and digital advertising. "This partnership will bring inspiring food-forward content to new audiences across the country."

Fans can join the conversation using #LiptonChefSweeps on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Media Contacts:
Stephanie Sternberg, Pepsi Lipton Partnership Communications 
914-253-2358 
[email protected]

Jennifer Davis, Golin on behalf of Lipton 
312-729-4248 
[email protected] 

About Lipton's Chef Fest Sweepstakes
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Lipton's Chef Fest Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States (or DC) who are at least 18 years old (19 in AL or NE) at the time of entry. Sweepstakes starts on May 18, 2016 at 12:00 a.m. ET and ends August 25, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. ET.  For FREE ENTRY and Official Rules visit www.TheChefFest.com (http://www.thecheffest.com). Void where prohibited. Sponsored by Pepsi/Lipton Tea Partnership, 1111 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, NY 10604.

About Unilever United States, Inc. 
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Refreshments, Home and Personal Care products with sales in more than 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. In the United States, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Breyers, Caress, Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Fruttare, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Magnum, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-tips, Simple, St. Ives, Suave, Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TIGI, TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe, TRESemmé and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.

Unilever employs approximately 8,000 people in the United States – generating more than $8.5 billion in sales in 2015.

Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) commits to:

• Decoupling growth from environmental impact.
• Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being.
• Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.

For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com

To connect with Unilever U.S. via Facebook visit: www.facebook.com/unileverusa

To connect with Unilever U.S. via Twitter follow: @unileverusa

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2015, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

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SOURCE Lipton

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