Neighbors Feeding Neighbors: Powering Recovery in Missouri & Kentucky
Less than two months after severe storms devastated Missouri and Kentucky, another set of tornadoes struck. WCK jumped back into action with many of the local partners who cared for their communities in March. New restaurant partners also jumped in to help.
Since May 16, we have served over 75,000 meals in the greater St. Louis area and Western Kentucky, both of which experienced significant destruction compounded by the two sets of storms.
Our Chef Corps members were among the first to step forward and serve their communities. Chef Haley Riley of Salt + Smoke and Mike Johnson of Sugarfire Smokehouse had both responded with WCK in March after storms rocked the Southeast U.S. In May, they immediately began cooking again following this round of tornadoes. Chef Haley served pulled pork and smoked chicken thigh sandwiches at ArtWorks in St. Louis. He and his team cooked hundreds of meals to distribute to churches and community centers.
“If you are hungry and don’t have a full stomach, you can’t think, focus, or function,” said Dr. Marty Casey, who helped organize meal distributions in St. Louis. “People cannot heal without food.”
Our RRFK rolled out to Somerset, Kentucky to serve the community. With its mobility and state-of-the-art equipment, it can also serve thousands of meals per day, making it an ideal choice for more rural and hard-to-reach areas. It served thousands of meals to the local community until our response wrapped over Memorial Day weekend.
In Somerset, chef partners Ed Nazario and Michael Wells, co-owners of The Chalet and Mulligan’s at Woodson Bend Resort, have also been hard at work in the kitchen. They’ve cooked everything from pizza bakes to beef bourguignon and have served hundreds of meals so far. They plan to keep serving while the community recovers.
“We’re just here trying to help the community and get through this particular tragic situation,” said Chef Michael. “I’m from Oklahoma, so we’re familiar with tornadoes—but this is the first time I’ve cooked for the community in this kind of crisis.”
The team at The Chalet prepares lasagna
We also partner with new restaurants like Nudo House, Seoul Taco, and Hog Call Barbeque in St. Louis. Building on our relationships and forging new partnerships has allowed us to support the hardest-hit families in the region. Missourians and Kentuckians are driving the recovery for their neighbors.
“[We’ll] keep doing it as long as it’s needed,” said Chef Michael. “All of us are willing to help. We are here.”
Help us support families impacted by tornadoes
