Page 22 - SA Chamber UK-NOV News letter 2023

SOUP, SURPRISES,

AND SOLIDARITY

Chefs with Compassion’s ongoing fight against hunger

The Local Grill, June 2020 | Calson Madlala preparing melon curry on Youth Day 2020 | Announcement of final
meals total, Mandela Day 2023

It was the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa in 2020 that brought forth a
staggering reality –13 million people were already grappling with hunger daily, a statistic
largely overlooked. As the country experienced widespread retrenchments across various
sectors, this figure skyrocketed to an alarming 20 million almost overnight. It was in this

climate of uncertainty that Chefs with Compassion was born, driven by a belief in the
compassion of chefs and a determination to make a difference.

As one of the founding directors of Chefs with Compassion, my involvement in the
organisation stems from a longstanding passion for fighting hunger. Having participated
in the World Chefs Tour Against Hunger in 2003 and 2011, where chefs from around the
world converged on South Africa to raise awareness and funds, I witnessed the power of

culinary communities uniting against hunger.

One of the pivotal moments in Chefs with Compassion’s journey was the realisation

that the reduced demand from the hospitality and other industries led to an excess
of fresh produce at the Joburg Fresh Produce Market. Faced with the prospect of this
surplus ending up in landfills or incinerators, a small group of individuals, with special
permission as ‘essential services’, transformed spaces at Thava Indian Restaurant and
later the HTA School of Culinary Art into a ‘sharehouse’. This was the birthplace of Chefs

with Compassion’s mission to rescue and repurpose surplus food for those in need.

The logistics of rescuing, coordinating, and delivering food became a daily challenge, met
with unwavering compassion.

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SA CHAMBER UK NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2023