Austin Chefs Are Jumping Down Building To Raise Addiction Awareness

A team of Austin chefs are raising money to promote addiction awareness in Austin's restaurant scene. And what better way to do that than by rappelling down the side of a very tall building in downtown? That’s exactly what Philip Speer and other local chefs are doing through national non-profit organization Shatterproof’s rappelling challenge this month.

The Austin chef group, Team 86 Addiction, also includes Via 313’s Brandon and Zane Hunt, Paul Qui, Page Pressley, Callie Speer, and others. Both Philip Speer and Qui have been dealing with their own issues with addiction, which is being talked about in the public more and more.

The team is raising funds for individual jumpers. Every person who donates $50 will be eligible to win $100 gift certificates to 11 of Austin's top restaurants, although the raffle ended yesterday. The raffle is continuing until the day of the jump.

The big jump happens on Wednesday, November 16, down the side of the Omni hotel in downtown Austin (with proper equipment, of course), beginning at 8 a.m. Each rappeler already has a set time.

Shatterproof runs the rappelling challenge across the country, and other people are participating in the Austin event, as well.

• 86 Addition [Shatterproof Challenge Rappel]