Chef Corps Spotlight: Meet Chris Shepherd
Longtime Houston restaurateur and James Beard Award winner Chris Shepherd, formerly of Underbelly Hospitality, is poised to help World Central Kitchen make connections in Houston should we need to return to the region where we’ve responded to everything from Hurricane Harvey to freezing temps coupled with power outages. Having recently stepped away from his restaurants, Chef Chris has more time to focus on the nonprofit he runs with his wife, Lindsey Brown.
Southern Smoke Foundation (SSF) supports food and beverage industry workers and their families who fall on hard times through grants and free mental health services. Chef Chris explains that these workers are particularly susceptible to natural disasters like the ones WCK responds to: “Things come to a screeching halt. In a traditional society, food and beverage workers live paycheck to paycheck or have very little savings to support their families. If a restaurant is shut down for an extended period of time because of said disaster, there is no money to pay bills. There is no money to get back on your feet.”
And yet, hospitality workers are usually the first to help. “As World Central Kitchen shows us so often, it’s food and beverage workers on the front lines feeding people after a disaster,” Chef Chris continues. “They’re so focused on taking care of their communities that they put taking care of themselves on the back burner. This means their recovery takes longer.”
Both organizations have been supporting Maui as it recovers from devastating fires. Often where WCK’s acute emergency work ends, SSF’s work begins. So far SSF has received 600 applications for support and 118 have been funded so far for a total of $257,500. Recipients must have worked in the industry for six months for at least 30 hours a week and grants are based on cost of living. Applicants are being encouraged to apply again in six months after they’ve taken an inventory of their losses. Chef Chris says they’ve noticed there are many multigenerational households on Maui so the number of applicants in their 50s and 60s is significantly higher than normal.
While our hot meal service has wrapped up Maui, WCK is also doing what it can to support the local hospitality industry by purchasing gift certificates from many of the restaurants that are able to operate. They’re being provided to families on Maui, matching two critical needs for support.
WCK’s Chef Corps is a global network of culinary leaders who champion World Central Kitchen’s work providing fresh meals following crises.
