Chef Russell Jackson Wants to Overhaul Our Food System

When thinking of voices to showcase on our "Food in Action" series, Chef Chris Scott seemed like a perfect fit. Not only has he been a longtime Food Bank supporter (serving as a volunteer and member of our Culinary Council), but he's also a natural born storyteller who uses food to uplift and celebrate African American history. You may also recognize him as a former finalist on Top Chef (woo!) and perhaps the best southern biscuit maker this side of the Carolinas (if you haven't tried Butterfunk, well... bless your little heart). Read our profile of the chef below, and remember to check out the rest of the stories in our "Food in Action" series, which highlights the culinary activism of chefs, cooks, and restauranteurs using food to do good right here in the Big Apple. View this post on Instagram A post shared by chris scott (@chefchris512) What, for you, is the magic of food? The magic of food is how it has the ability to bring us all together around the table. People often ask me what my favorite kitchen tool is, and I'm sure they are expecting me to answer with some ridiculously expensive kitchen knife, or fancy immersion circulator, but my favorite tool is my Kitchen Table. This is the place where we all come to restore our spirits and our bodies, where conversation and ideas are met with being heard. That is the magic of food. What ingredient will always sell you on a dish? The ingredient that I will always sell is the origin of the dish, the story within the story of the dish. I believe people should know WHY they're eating what they're eating. Do you have a favorite meal memory? Right before the birth of our son, my wife took me to Sushi Yasuda. Not only was it delicious and I got to see some pretty nifty knife work and cooking applications first hand, but it was the culture that stayed with me the most. View this post on Instagram A post shared by chris scott (@chefchris512) How can folks use food to do good? Feeding the people with love is how we all can do good through food. Realizing that food is the connective that keeps and brings us together. Either be it through giving back and helping in soup kitchens or shelters, but also teaching and passing down what you know about cooking. The knowledge of what we do is priceless, and must be taught to the next generations. And lastly... if your bodega named a sandwich after you, what would it be called and what would it be? I don't know if it would be a sandwich. Probably a ripped piece of good bread, slightly toasted, with a delicious compound butter and a savory jam. That's more my speed. And of course, it would be free. For more stories from chefs on the ground, make sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Chef Max Hardy has been a friend of Food Bank's for over seven years. He's been a volunteer, a supporter, a member of the Food Bank Culinary Council, and even served as an interim Director in our Community Kitchen in Harlem while it was undergoing renovations. To say that he's made an indelible mark on our mission to fight food insecurity across New York City would be quite the understatement. To learn more about the talented chef, we chatted with him about his approach to cooking and service as well as what Black History Month means to him. Check out the conversation below! What, for you, is the magic of food? For me, the magic is all about seeing people smile while they enjoy their food. Simple acts like cooking and baking bread bring people together in such a special way. My mom is Bahamian, and I have so many fun memories of us cooking together. Do you have a favorite meal memory? I definitely have a favorite career memory as a chef! I was interviewing for a Kosher catering company and they asked me to do a cooking demo for 3 Rabbis at a synagogue. They gave me a bunch of ingredients and asked me to make Matzah Ball Soup, but I had never made Matzah Ball Soup before. So, I get the Matzah meal and started to make the balls the way I would make a hushpuppy, which is totally the wrong way! I’m making my soup broth and folding my egg whites into the Matzah meal, and everything looks great when I end up serving the dish to the Rabbis. Afterward, they came into the kitchen and asked to see how I made the Matzah Balls because they knew they were wrong, but they still tasted delicious. One of the Rabbis took a Matzah Ball in his hand and threw it against the wall and it splattered and he said anytime it does that, it’s a good Matzah Ball! I had no clue what I was getting myself into, but I made it work, and it's still one of my fondest chef memories ever. How can folks use food to do good? This question makes me think of Food Bank's Community Kitchen & Food Pantry in Harlem. Everyone in the neighborhood knows everyone there. One of the things we try to do at Food Bank is challenge the stigma about what it’s like going to a soup kitchen. It should feel like going to the grocery store, like going to any other place in the community. I said it earlier, but there really is something powerful about using food to bring people together. What does Black History Month mean to you? I keep saying community, but that’s what it is, right? For Black History Month, seeing the struggles that African Americans have been through and then to be an African American chef and be able to show how we have influenced food culture is important to me. I think of this month like any other month, it’s always important to show the work of African American chefs in the food and beverage industry. Lastly... if your bodega named a sandwich after you, what would it be called and what would it be? “The Busy Boss” and it would have crispy chicken tenders, spicy Caribbean slaw, and a guava spicy BBQ sauce on a toasted brioche bun. For more stories from chefs on the ground, make sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Food Bank For New York City’s 2022 Pride Month theme is #ProudlyFed. For us, this means we not only serve the estimated 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ New Yorkers struggling to put food on the table, but that we do it with joy, love, and pride. We also recognize that food insecurity in the LGBTQ+ community is often compounded by things like workplace discrimination, healthcare inequality, and housing insecurity. A citywide survey conducted in 2017 found that over 18 percent of LGBTQ+ New Yorkers had experienced homelessness, with these numbers soaring up to 60 percent for individuals who identified as Black, Hispanic, transgender, or gender non-conforming. Over 20 percent of respondents also reported that they had been denied a promotion, not hired, or been forced to resign from a job due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. To address these diverse and varied challenges, we partner with and distribute food to community-based organizations that not only feed our LGBTQ+ neighbors, but work to provide them with free legal services, educational opportunities, healthcare enrollment assistance, and nutrition workshops. One such organization is Make the Road New York, a Food Bank member agency that serves immigrant, working-class, and transgender communities throughout Brooklyn and Queens. Make the Road doesn’t shy away from difference; on the contrary, the group finds power in bringing together New Yorkers from all different walks of life to advocate for collective change. To learn more about the group’s unique approach to service, we spoke with Mateo Guerrero-Tabares, the Trans Justice and Leadership Program Manager at Make the Road New York. Mateo pictured at Make the Road New York’s office in Queens. Photo credit: Feeding America. Mateo found his way to Make the Road in 2010 after arriving in New York City as an undocumented minor. He began his journey as both a client and volunteer, receiving aid from the organization to adjust his immigration status and stay permanently in the United States. Make the Road quickly became a “political home” for Mateo and was one of the first public spaces in which he felt comfortable embracing his identity as a transgender man. As he told us: “It was very special to be able to say, ‘Mateo, he/they pronouns’ and be uplifted and cared for in such a beautiful way.” Volunteers working the weekly food distribution at Make the Road New York. Photo credit: Feeding America. Now, in his role as the organization’s Trans Justice and Leadership Program Manager, he’s working to bring that same level of solidarity and support to the immigrant and transgender New Yorkers he serves, especially when it comes to providing them with reliable access to fresh, nutritious food. In fact, Mateo started a special “bike brigade” at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver groceries to nearly 400 families a week. It was a way to sustain the sense of togetherness that has long fueled Make the Road’s mission to build a more equitable future for New York City’s most marginalized residents. “I want our members to be able to define what it means to exist in New York — and not just survive — but have a dignified life,” he said. “That sense of pride comes from a place of resiliency and community.” Mateo pictured at Make the Road New York’s office in Queens. Photo credit: Feeding America. We couldn’t be prouder to partner with and provide food to organizations like Make the Road New York that put our LGBTQ+ neighbors first. For more on how we serve these New Yorkers now and throughout the year, click this link. You can also donate directly to our Pride Month fundraising campaign to help raise crucial funds for organizations just like Make the Road. Give here. *** A special thanks to Feeding America for partnering with us on a suite of stories featuring LGBTQ-serving agencies in our extensive member network of over 800 food pantries, soup kitchens, and campus partners across the five boroughs. View the stories here.