All over the Greater New Orleans Area, healthcare workers and first responders are toiling long hours, even skipping mealtimes to keep us healthy and safe. At the same time, the city's once-thriving restaurant industry is taking an enormous hit due to state-wide, stay-at-home mandates issued in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Why not satisfy one need to fill another?
Organized by local writers Troy Gilbert
and Robert Peyton, Chef's Brigade NOLA is offering a stop-gap solution. By
bundling restaurants together in groups of ten or "brigades," the
organization stations the brigades in New Orleans Police Department
stations or hospital parking lots and provide safe, free meals to
first responders on a daily basis. Restaurants and their staff are
paid from funds raised through partnerships with other nonprofits, as
well as donations received from the public through their GoFundMe
account.
Restaurants such as Cafe Degas,
Rosedale, Live Oak Cafe, Johnny Sanchez, Boucherie, Sala NOLA,
Riccobono's and Central City BBQ are cooking hundreds of meals daily,
supplementing their income from to-go and curbside orders. Meanwhile,
these mouthwatering meals like pot roast, chicken and sausage
jambalaya, beef bolognese and pulled pork sandwiches are being
distributed to frontline employees at the 3rd District
NOPD, New Orleans EMS, the Lambeth House Retirement Community and the
NOPD's Special Operations District.
As of today, Chef's Brigade NOLA is now
comprised of 75 restaurants, chefs and purveyor partners, a number
that is growing daily. They are also working with the Red Beans
Krewe, another nonprofit with the same goal. Together, they hope to
save New Orleans' esteemed independent restaurant industry while
feeding our frontline heroes. For more information or to donate,
visit chefsbrigadenola.org or NOPJF.org. You can also follow the
organization on their Facebook page or follow them @chefsbrigadenola
on Instagram.
