Mary Giuliani is a Party Hostess with Purpose

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.

Though a Californian by birth, Chef Russell Jackson has been setting New York City’s culinary world on fire since 2012. A former contestant on “The Next Food Network Star” and the Head Chef of “Reverence” in Harlem, Jackson prioritizes seasonality and intimacy in everything he does. Most recently, he’s been serving as a key member of the COVID task force at the Aspen Institute, where he’s advocated for community food relief and met with the White House team. To learn more about Chef Jackson’s unique approach to cooking and service, including his thoughts on everything from spring garlic to inequality in restaurant supply chains, check out our interview with him below! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Russell Jackson (@chefrjackson) What, for you, is the magic of food? There’s something that’s so inherently wonderful about food and dining and cooking and the impact it has on people’s lives. Through the process of growing up and cooking and coming to that greater realization... it's difficult to answer because I think it’s multi-faceted, it’s hard to put it into a succinct way. But this is who I am, and this is what I do. What ingredient will always sell you on a dish? Because I’m trained as a California-style chef, I eat with the seasons and prioritize quality. Some of my favorite ingredients, like peanut butter or foie gras, I may not be able to eat all the time. I start with what we are growing, what’s in the backyard — what can we do with what we have? I love spring garlic, and I go through 10 pounds a week, but I’m not a winter garlic fan. In October it’s all about chilies, in December it’s all about citrus. It’s how I was raised. If I’m cooking it, I’m inspired by it. Do you have a favorite meal memory? The most impactful moment in my culinary career was the very first time I got to feed [my son] Kingston in the restaurant. It was an absolute full circle moment. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Russell Jackson (@chefrjackson) How can folks use food to do good? I think it’s important to consider things like the harsh realities of food sourcing and the inequality along the supply chains, and to understand the quality of those products. Responsible sourcing costs me more money, and in turn it’s going to cost my guests more money. But it's the cost needed to get quality ingredients, to pay my staff a living wage, to have room for conversations in our restaurant about savings, healthcare, and investments. We have choices to make as a public and must demand better. It’s a human right to not be abused by the systems that we create. From the investor to the management to the ownership, everyone needs to do their part. And lastly... if your bodega named a sandwich after you, what would it be called and what would it be? There’s a sandwich that I created in 2011 at my restaurant in San Francisco that I would eat every single day. It included all my favorite ingredients. It was “The Elvis” — triple-decker peanut butter and jelly, foie gras, and bacon sandwich, with homemade peanut butter that we used to grind up at the restaurant, huckleberry jelly, big slabs of foie gras, thick slabs of Iberian bacon. For more stories from chefs on the ground, make sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.