Brad Volunteers at a Food Bank

Just put me to work.

You're gonna be done by the time I get this second glove on.

I was, I was observing that

Hey guys, today on it's alive

we're up here in beautiful Harlem.

and we're going to be meeting up

with the folks from Food Bank for New York city.

And we're going to be teaming up

with Chef Sheri to go inside and see how they cook

on a larger scale for up to a thousand people.

And then Chef Sheri and I are going to head back

to our kitchen and just really dig in

and have her show me what it takes to meet the needs

of a diverse community.

We're cooking for family

at the end of the day here, you know, and

and that's just really what it's all about helping people.

And I'm really excited to see that process

and what it takes to pull off such a beautiful stunt.

So, let's get inside, let's get suited up,

and let's go to work.

[Brad] I lost the shrimp, bud.

[Sheri] You want to start chopping some onion?

[Brad] Yeah, absolutely. I didn't bring an apron!

[Sheri] I got you!

[Sheri] You gonna throw some cabbage in there too?

[Brad] Yeah!

[Sheri] And you gonna put some of our

house seasoning in there.

[Brad] You got it.

[Sheri] You've done this before.

[Brad] A few times.

It's like cooking for family,

[indistinct]

[Sheri] And that's what we're doing here.

This family.

[Brad] That's it.

[Sheri] How's your cabbage?

[Brad] Looking' good chef!

[Sheri] Okay. There we go.

All right, guys, I'm here with chef Sheri

and I've learned about your program through some friends

and it's just, you know, got really interested

in your work and what you guys do so wanted

to work with you in your kitchen for a little bit

and then invite you to come

and cook in one of ours.

What we're trying to do today, guys is

really just mimic what Chef Sheri does every day

cooking as a head chef for a food bank

in a city like New York City.

Just like, cooking recipes that come from the heart

and just being able to use the resources that you

have to make a healthy, nutritious meal for a community.

All right. So chef, you know,

I got you some chicken thighs over there, bone in.

I figured you could sear those off.

Just get a little base for that soup going.

And I also got some stock, you know,

we'll add that. If you want to add a little water to it too

as well, you know, whatever, you know how to cook

I don't need to teach her how to make chicken noodle soup.

[Brad] But in the meantime,

I'm going to start boiling some barley

if you want to just, you know

and put a little color on, on those chicken thighs.

[Sheri] All right.

[Brad] And then yeah.

Tell me again, like what exactly do you guys do

at the food bank?

[Sheri] We started, Oh, hold up one second.

Oh, the sinks a little tricky, Chef Sheri.

I gotta tell ya,

It's a little too fancy for its own good.

[Sheri] Uh, we have a, uh, soup kitchen.

Okay.

And also a pantry.

Oh, beautiful.

At the kitchen, we serve over

[Brad] a thousand meals a day thousand meals a day?

[Sheri] A thousand meals a day.

And that's all just whoever shows up?

Whoever show up.

[Brad] You're hungry and we've got you.

We got you

A thousands meals a day.

So I mean, that's like you're cooking volumes

that the best, biggest restaurants in the,

in the city, head chefs are high-fiving for.

And you know, you're cranking that, you know

you're doing those numbers daily.

[Sheri] Daily. Daily.

Before the camera was turned on,

and you saw that I had a couple

of chicken thighs laid out and you said something

that was beautiful.

[Sheri] I need exactly 447 more chicken thighs.

[Brad laughs]

I like the idea that I'm able to go in there daily

and create... with donations that

are donated to the kitchen

To me, whether it's a thousand people or,

or just you and I

[Brad] you know, it's cooking for people

just from the heart.

And I guess that's, it seems like, you know

after working with you in your kitchen

that's basically what you and everyone there does.

I mean, you, you're cooking for the thousand strangers

you know, the same way I cook for my family at home.

We are, the only difference is that our family,

and we do consider them to be our family,

[Brad] Right

Are in the hundreds.

[Brad] What was awesome, and what I think

you know, when a lot of folks, and me in the past

when you think of a soup kitchen

or you think of, you know, a food pantry,

it's donated food.

You're taking raw ingredients and

you're cooking. You're chef-ing back there.

You guys are, are making from scratch,

just delicious, nutritious homemade meals.

We take it up a little bit further than that.

It isn't just soup.

I'd say so you know, that Chicken Curry

that you guys were workin' on.

[Sheri] But the daily ritual is to

walk into one of the walk-ins,

and just stand there and see what comes out.

So like, you know, at home

like I was saying, I'm always cooking for

I got two young boys and you know, a little

little family going and you know, I'm cooking for them.

And they got, they got their own little needs

and requirements and, and likes and desires, you know

in a meal cooking for such a large number in such a

just as large and diverse community.

I would imagine there some, some challenges that come

into how you cook and prepare meals for,

for that many people.

It's actually fairly simple.

We know what they like.

[Brad] Right.

We have some kosher meals that are donated to us.

We're also thinking about how we can

incorporate a lot of Halal.

[Sheri] Having all of these different meals

so that when these diversities are-

we're faced with it,

we're able to feed them as well.

I think that's a really smart

and beautiful way to approach that.

So what are some of your like biggest,

your biggest proteins, chicken I'm guessing?

Chicken, beef...

...lamb.

[Brad] lamb, yeah?

Lamb, lamb.

We have a few donors that actually donate lambs to us.

We have some that donate steers.

[Brad] Okay, oh cool.

And when that happens, we make it happen.

So lamb chops very popular when we get it.

[Brad] Oh beautiful!

They love it! [laughs]

[Brad] Right now, I'm going to be toasting up

a little spices and we're going to cook up some shrimp.

So I'm just going to get a little dry rub

kind of charred up cast-iron shrimp.

[Brad] And I got some cucumbers and radishes

that are sitting on a little salt.

I'm going to add some fermented goodness to 'em

that I think would go really well with this.

Chef Sheri?

Yes, Brad? How you feel about that?

I'm fine, Brad.

[both laugh]

So, Chef Sheri did you grow up here in New York?

Yes, I did.

You did?

Yes, I did.

My parents were from Charleston, South Carolina.

So deep down, I'm a country girl at heart.

[Brad] Okay.

[Sheri] Growing up,

my parents did a lot of volunteering,

but I've always wanted to volunteer at a soup kitchen.

[Brad] Okay.

Never did it.

[Brad] Oh well look at you now!

Oh where am I now? [laughs]

Oh, some would call it destiny, Chef Sheri.

[Sheri laughs]

You know, I've wanted to ask, you know

like COVID, must've really just

the whole pandemic must have really affected how

you cook and serve...

[Sheri] Yeah...

food for people.

So normally the clients will come in

and they would have dinner.

They would sit down and eat.

[Brad] Uh-huh. Now it's grab and go.

We still prepare the same type meals,

but just package it for them to go.

Okay

I mean, I remember before all of this, you know

standing in front of the, you know, in the back

watching the dining room and watching the clients eat

and it's just the best feeling in the world.

I mean, to see people walking in and out,

You probably light up.

Yeah, I mean, it, it,

[Brad] You're literally putting life in people.

And through them, they're put in life for me.

It just gives me that extra energy.

One story I'll tell you real quick is,

This gentleman would come in every night

dress suit, tie and he was looking for work.

So he was doing interviews. So the choice was,

Okay the money that I do have, how do I do this

He had his rent to pay.

So you know what? We're here to help you.

So you, you worry about paying that rent,

[Brad] [indistinct]

[Sheri] trying to get, you know, those

those interviews and you know, your meals are here.

Right? He came in one day and said,

Chef, you know what because of you all,

and just having you during all of this

he got the job and it was through Con Edison.

Wow.

[Sheri] So I mean, it's like,

It's life changing.

[Sheri] yeah, you never know what you're doing

and who you're doing it for.

So chef, how can people get involved

and help out in someone, you know

an organization like the New York-

The Food Bank for New York City,

or like in their own cities? I'm sure

a lot of places hopefully

have things going on like this, right?

Brad, like anything, most things, money.

[Brad] Money.

$1..

[Brad] Right.

actually feeds, is five meals.

Wow, no kidding.

No... so, donations!

So I got this barley going here and um,

you like barley?

[Sheri] I love barley.

[Brad] Me too. I'll let it hang out,

You know, you don't want to be strain it

just let it kind of be room temperature

and even a little warm.

and then I'll fold it into, I got some, some

some torn up some, feta cheese and some

some green olives, radishes and cucumbers.

And we'll hit it, I got a little fermented garlic chili

that we were kind of sniffing at before in there.

And we'll drizzle that in there.

Maybe a little olive oil.

Did a video about it a while back,

if you're interested to learn not much more

about the process, because that was about it.

I, I am. The pantry is basically

a little mini supermarket.

Whatever is not used in the kitchen,

is served to the pantry clients.

So they get to take fresh produce home as well.

Oh nice, beautiful.

Normally they would come into the pantry,

they would do their own shopping,

they get a card by their family sizes

and they're able to choose between grains, proteins,

Oh, wow!

[Sheri] ...fruits.

But since COVID, we've been pre-packaging

all of these meals.

So you just come and pick up a bundle.

Yeah.

[Brad] Oh, amazing. Which of these Chef?

Stock, please.

Want me to just pour it in?

[Sheri] Thank you very much.

[Brad] I, I'm, I love soup. Me too. Me too.

I don't know about you. I could eat soup,

[Sheri] Me too.

[Brad] Three times a day.

Me too all day. I find it to be crazy,

that you picked chicken soup today,

because there are occasions, we get whole chickens

and if we don't have time to cut up the chickens,

[Brad] Right.

That's what that becomes, chicken soup.

[Sheri] And it's a home run, right? Definitely.

They love it when we have soup at the kitchen

[Brad] I bet!

You put any, uh, I got some habanero

and some spicy stuff in here.

[Sheri] I got some in there.

[Brad] Oh, you did it already?

[Brad] Yes! Oh, I love it.

See, I'm just gonna fold this in kind of hot.

How do you feel about hot cucumbers?

I'm, I'm gonna try it today.

[brad laughs]

I'm interested in your barley

because we get, sometimes, donations with

different grains and our clients

aren't familiar with them.

[Brad] Right.

But I liked the idea that you just showed

how something as simple as barley...

[Brad] Right.

Look at it.

A staple, right?

It's just like beef stew, beef and

barley soup or something, but

[Sheri] Yep. Yeah.

keeping it something,

where it's a vegetarian, light, I mean, you could do this

in the middle of winter or the summer.

You're saying, you know, and you can throw it around.

It doesn't have to be cucumbers.

No, that would've been nice with Quinoa, too.

[Brad] Would've been, exactly.

[Sheri] Yeah! [laughs]

The guy showed up with a bag full of whatever

We can start folding it in, you know?

And it's just a great way to layer

in really healthy food on a very low...

Right

[Brad] I mean this, you could feed

a whole group of people in this, you know.

Exactly.

[Brad] I'm gonna cook off the shrimp real quick

and we'll have that with our little lunch.

[Sheri] All right.

[upbeat jazz]

Do you guys get much fish donated at all?

Recently, we were able to get

a whole lot of porgies and whitings, fileted.

What'd you do with them?

Well, you know, when you have that, like that

and you're cooking for 500 people, what else do you do?

You have a Friday fish fry.

[Brad] That's it.

Ain't that so easy.

That's exactly what I would have done.

You'd be crazy not to, right?

We had a fish fry,

and the clients appreciated it.

[Brad] Who doesn't like fried fish.

I'm telling you.

How often are you looking for new people

to, to help out?

Since COVID-19, prior to that,

we used to have volunteers.

[Brad] All right.

About 15 to 20 volunteers in the kitchen.

Wow, no kidding.

[Sheri] On shifts. No kidding.

So this is very different from what we're accustomed to.

Mm-Kay.

When things get better, we welcome

the volunteer help.

[Brad] We're doing alright here,

We got homemade chicken soup. We added stock

but you could easily do that just with water,

you know and like that, you know,

it's just for me a perfect meal.

That's why it's a classic.

And then we just got something simple, like shrimp

A real vegetarian, kind of grain, cucumber salad.

Everything that we're cooking

and everything that we cook together back

at your kitchen was relatively easy,

and mostly just really nutritious

and actually really healthy, good food.

Like people aren't coming in and just getting

big sodium and sugar bombs. Like this is food,

And like what you were serving,

is food that I would serve to my family.

Which is basically what you were doing.

And that's the goal at Food Bank.

One of the key elements at Food Bank,

is remembering and understanding people.

Letting them know that dignity is very important.

Treating them with dignity

Right

And that with, just that we're there.

Once upon a time, we used to have the clients,

they used to stand on the line,

and wait for their meals on the wall.

And one particular day I'm like, you know,

let's try something different.

We have the volunteers line each table

and chair with a tray. Took a little longer

but sometimes it doesn't matter.

You know, you came in, you sat down, dignity.

[Brad] I mean, that's as important if not

more than, than the nutrients that's in the food.

Yep.

[Brad] So thank you again, Chef Sheri

for cooking with me, for for eating with me,

You know, and then and then just talking

about things like this, you know,

and how food is so much more than

what we were saying, just a full belly.

If you live in New York, folks can donate

and volunteer, you know,

at the Food Bank for New York city.

But you know, no matter where you live,

you can look into different organizations,

like this one, like, like Chef Sheri's running

to help people in your area.

Thank you again, chef.

Thank you.

[Brad] And uh before this meal that we did cook gets cold,

we should eat it ourselves, yeah?

Thank you for having me. Thank you.

[Brad] I can't find a spoon in this place to save my life.

I don't know about you.

Don't even try opening the cabinets.