Hotel cooks prepare annual diner for NYC homeless, wealthy

NEW YORK (AP) - About 500 people have attended an annual dinner prepared by luxury hotel cooks that brings together homeless and wealthy New Yorkers.

The Rev. Edward Sunderland says about 25 tables were filled at St. Bartholomew's Church in midtown Manhattan on Friday evening.

He says there were roughly 180 paying customers and more than 300 soup kitchen regulars.

Chefs from the Lotte New York Palace, New York Four Seasons and the Waldorf Astoria New York prepared a traditional turkey dinner and dessert.

Sunderland says the point of the yearly meal is to foster community, especially among people who don't regularly interact.

Volunteer Craig James says two homeless people talked all night with a couple of professional musicians at his table. He said the evening was "awesome."