Introducing Restaurants for the People
After launching #ChefsForAmerica in March, WCK is now stepping into our next phase of support — committing $50 million to keep local, independent restaurants open and working so they can provide nourishing meals for people in need in their communities. As nearly 40 million people in the United States have lost their income, supporting jobs in the restaurant industry that will in turn ensure families can continue to put food on the table is more critical than ever. By purchasing meals from small restaurants, we not only support the employees of the business itself, but the entire food system — farmers, fishers, and ranchers.
Currently working with more than 1,200 eateries across the country, WCK has already put over $15 million directly into local restaurants through this initiative. Neighborhood restaurants make up the fabric of our towns and cities — they are where we celebrate birthdays, graduations, holidays…and make memories. Supporting them to cook and serve comforting dishes for their own communities has the power to restore a slight sense of normalcy and remind us that we will get through this together.
In WCK’s hometown of Washington, DC, one of our partner restaurants is local favorite, Little Sesame. Founded in 2015 by cousins Nick and David Wiseman and chef Ronen Tenne, Little Sesame is known for their scrumptious seasonal hummus bowls and pita sandwiches. When the effects of COVID-19 hit the DC area, they launched Meals For The City to serve the community: stepping away from their normal hummus dishes, they modified recipes based on what ingredients were available and what would be most appealing to the families they were serving. The day WCK’s Relief Team visited, Cajun-style red beans and rice was the inspiration for the menu. But with red beans difficult to source, Ron used a mix of pinto beans and northern red beans along with butter beans, and combined them with sausage and smoked turkey. Ron told us, “It’s not traditional, but it tastes great and that’s all that matters!” Together, WCK and Little Sesame have distributed thousands of meals from Kelly Miller Middle School and Little Sesame has been able to keep many team members at work.
Penny Baldado is the owner of Cafe Gabriela on Broadway in Oakland, California. Penny is a formerly undocumented immigrant from the Phillippines – she moved to the U.S. in 1999 and worked her way up in restaurants from busser to waiter, then sous chef, and finally head chef. She decided that she wanted her own restaurant, so she took business classes at a local college before opening her dream spot – Café Gabriela, which serves sandwiches alongside Filipino classics. We stopped by Café Gabriela’s 10th birthday party, just as meals were going out to The Henry Robinson, a transitional housing facility run by Bay Area Community Services. On the menu were sandwiches – turkey, soppressata, and tomato-mozzarella – served with pride and a deep commitment to supporting the people of Oakland.
Tim Harris, Chef Greg Mincher, & the crew at La Tienda in Williamsburg, Virginia have been active serving their community in response to the crisis for nearly two months, creating a community kitchen in the spirit of José’s initial call to action in March. Since then, La Tienda has served thousands of families in their community as the impacts of COVID intensified. Now, WCK has been able to step in and support their generosity by enrolling them in Restaurants for the People.
Margaret Kamara is the founder of District Chop Bar, a West African fusion concept in Washington, DC. Historically a catering company, their goal has been to take the District on a journey to West Africa. With three full-time employees throughout their two years, they’ve now been able to bring in other part-time workers because of their partnership with World Central Kitchen. When we stopped by, they were prepping a delicious Mambo Chicken with greens and cornbread, destined for the community in Fort Lincoln.
La Fonda Boricua, a staple in East Harlem for more than 30 years, joined WCK’s #ChefsForAmerica initiative when we first began, distributing individually packaged meals to people in need in their community. Now with Restaurants for the People, they are once again operating as a restaurant, cooking fresh meals themselves to serve to their neighbors. With this support, they have been able to go from 4 staff when the COVID-19 outbreak began to 11 employees working now. La Fonda Boricua focuses on serving the elderly population currently sheltering in place in NYCHA buildings.
In Oakland, El Huarache Azteca owners Mayra Chavez and her mother Eva Saavedra have been open for almost 20 years serving Mexican cuisine in the Fruitvale neighborhood. When the shelter-in-place began they had to lay off all 10 employees. Mayra and her mom first reopened with just take-out orders and were able to bring back 3 employees. When they began serving several hundred meals a day with WCK, they were able to bring back 3 more. Their team is cooking up comforting dishes like chicken mole and nopales!
To learn more about WCK’s Restaurants for the People program, head here. To support our efforts, click here.
