Page 20 - Sonoma County Gazette 11-17

Crusading Chefs
By Ron Skaar
America has a long history of civilians volunteering heroically during
times of crises. Early settlers pooled their resources to survive their new surroundings. Homesteaders, during the country’s westward expansion, worked together to safeguard their livelihood.
The rigors of the Civil War led to the creation of the American Red Cross,
the United Way and the YMCA. The rst Volunteer Bureau was established in response to World War I. Americans continued those charitable ways during the Great Depression, with neighbors sharing food from their backyard gardens and orchards.
Disaster response galvanized the culinary community during the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Chefs for Humanity, created by Cat Cora, was created to help those most in need, here at home or overseas. She raised $100,000.00 to provide immediate relief to Haitians. One hundred percent of the proceeds went to the support of an essential school meal program.
Chefs for Humanity also played a vital role during Hurricane Katrina. With help from the ARC and an amazing group of women volunteers from Gulf Port, Mississippi, local evacuees and rst responders were fed thousands of meals over a three week period. Cat Cora joined chefs Ming Thai, Charlie Ayers and Alton Brown, working tirelessly to prepare meals for displaced victims and relief workers.
20 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 11/17
James Beard Award winning celebrity chef ( and U.S. citizen) José Andres was inspired, after visiting earthquake ravaged Haiti, to form the World Central Kitchen. This nonpro t promotes crucial culinary training and new kitchen equipment to improve the local communities education, economy and health.
In Houston, after Hurricane Harvey, Andres activated the WCK’s chef network to entice other professionals to help with the massive chore of feeding people living in make shift shelters.
He pared up with Cuisine Solutions, a rm which specializes in prepared products cooked via sous-vide water baths. The foods ready to eat quality works well with many shelters lacking kitchens.
In late August Andres and his WCK sta were serving 20,000 meals per day to the victims of Harvey. After Haiti and Houston, Andres and his crew are now on the ground in Puerto Rico after the double whammy of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. They have pared up with native chefs, utilizing their kitchens to prepare and deliver food to hundreds of thousands of people.
Chef and caterer Ryan Waesche helped during the hurricanes in both Texas and Florida. Now he is in Northern California helping feed a ected locals and those battling the wild res. He met up with Mercy Chefs, an organization established 11 years ago to better manage and serve food during disasters. They paired with the Christian Family Fellowship of Santa Rosa to set up a large mobile kitchen.
Photo by Jon Russo
CHEFS cont’d on page 21