Louisiana chefs, World Central Kitchen prep restaurant-quality meals for Barry victims, first responders - The Advocate

A global nonprofit is working with local chefs in Lafayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans to prepare nutritious, restaurant-quality meals for victims and first responders affected by Tropical Storm Barry.

These aren't your typical brown bag lunches.

Sunday's menu included orange-cinnamon chicken fajitas over garlic black beans and a salad topped with tri-colored tortilla strips, Monterey jack cheese, cherry tomatoes, olives and cilantro-ranch dressing.

"What's different about us from other feeding organizations is that we focus on hot, nutritious, restaurant-quality meals," said Jason Collis, World Central Kitchen's director of procurement. "It's not just about feeding people but giving them dignity as well."

Sunday's meals went to shelters in Franklin and Baldwin, emergency command centers in Lafayette and Iberia parishes and a men's shelter in Lafayette.

Collis is working with local chefs such as Zach Doise to prepare meals for those who have been displaced from their homes by Tropical Storm Barry and those responding to the storm's victims.

Doise, who serves as sous chef for City Club in River Ranch, offered his kitchen to the nonprofit, which arrived in the area on Thursday.

They connected because someone at Tsunami called someone at Pop's Poboys who called Doise. Originally, the team wanted to use his food truck.

"I said, 'There's a better place: City Club,'" Doise said. "This all happened within an hour. They're real fast. They don't play around."

World Central Kitchen launched into action Friday after City Club served lunch and closed for the weekend.

They also have operations underway in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

"We have three kitchens set up so we are able to serve everybody," Collis said. "If we can't get to somebody from Lafayette, we're hopefully able to get to them from Baton Rouge or New Orleans."

World Central Kitchen has served more than 8 million meals since forming in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

This is the organization's first time in Louisiana.

"We like to connect with the local community," Collis said. "We sent a scout team out to assess the area and needs. We connected with local chefs that helped us secure a kitchen. Then we purchase food from the local grocery stores when we can and get shipments from Sysco and US Foods when stores are closed."

The nonprofit doesn't accept donated food or supplies because of its focus on healthy, quality meals. 

It does, however, need volunteers who can help deliver meals. Monetary donations are also accepted.

"At this point, we'll be here until the need is gone," Collis said. "We came in here not knowing if this was going to be big or not, and we plan to stay until there's no one left to serve."

Learn more about how you can help by visiting World Central Kitchen's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages or its website at wck.org.

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https://www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/news/article_09f7def2-a64b-11e9-a1dc-db201b77da95.html

2019-07-14 15:23:00Z
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