12 JULY 2020
“Sommeliers are a high-cost line item; we tend to be the first cut and the last to be hired back,” says 2019 F&W Sommelier of the
Year Erik Segelbaum. That’s why he joined The United Sommeliers Foundation, which teamed up with Acker Wines for a benefit
auction for wine professionals impacted by restaurant closures. Learn how to chip in at unitedsommeliersfoundation.org.SOMMS UNITE!JOSÉ ANDRÉS
Andrés’ nonprofit, World Central Kitchen,
mobilized its global relief teams immedi-
ately, starting by feeding those aboard the
quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship
in Yokohama, Japan. As of press time, WCK
had served more than 6 million meals in
response to the pandemic, with plans to
continue feeding and fighting for doctors,
nurses, first responders, children, the
elderly, the homeless, and the sick. In
addition, Andrés turned his shuttered
Washington, D.C., restaurants into commu-
nity kitchens, providing takeout meals at
low or no cost to those in need. Donate to
World Central Kitchen at wck.org.EDWARD LEE
With funding from his nonprofit, The LEE
Initiative, and Maker’s Mark, Lee has turned
restaurant kitchens across 19 cities into relief
centers that have provided more than
200,000 meals and essential supplies to
unemployed hospitality workers. As
restaurants look toward reopening, the
nonprofit is committing at least $1 million of
sustainably sourced food to be distributed to
those relief centers through June 2021.
“These people are the backbone of the
industry,” Lee says. “They cannot be
forgotten.” Donate to The LEE Initiative at
leeinitiative.kindful.com.ISAAC AND AMANDA TOUPS
When the owners of Toups’ Meatery in New
Orleans expanded their restaurant’s daily
family meal to provide free meals to those in
need, they found themselves feeding between
200 and 300 people each day. They promised
their hard-hit city, “We will keep feeding you
as long as we can.” Support from area
businesses and residents (including a $2,
contribution from a New Orleans citizen and
wine and beer from local restaurants and
beer companies) has enabled the Toupses to
keep cooking for free. Plus, they’re now
partnering with World Central Kitchen.
Contribute via Venmo (@toupsmeatery) or by
calling 504-252-4999.ERIK BRUNER-YANG
By partnering with Capital One, D.C.-based
chef Erik Bruner-Yang took his crowd-
funding initiative, The Power of 10, national.
To both boost employment and feed
communities in need, the initiative now
operates in 30 restaurants from Dallas to
NYC by using simple math: A $10,
donation allows restaurants to hire 10
employees for a week, during which time
they cook 1,000 meals for local nonprofits
and hospitals. As of press time, the model
had enabled independent restaurateurs to
serve more than 24,000 meals. Donate at
powerof10initiative.com.The Chefs
When the coronavirus shuttered their dining rooms, these
chefs put their kitchens to work for their communities.DELIVERY MVPSWhether they’re bringing
meals to overwhelmed
health care workers
on the front lines or to
hospitality professionals
temporarily out of work,
these people delivered
comfort in the form of a
free, nutritious meal.DOMINIQUE CRENN
Crenn, a Lexus Culinary
Master in the Bay Area,
utilized a $50,
donation from Lexus to
employ her staff to cook
and deliver meals to
hospital workers at UCSF
Medical Center.COLLECTIVE FARE
Collective Fare, located at
Brownsville Community
Culinary Center in Brook-
lyn, has prepared over
6,000 meals for local
family shelters, elder-care
facilities, and dialysis cen-
ters. Collective Fare also
donated 700 meals daily
to nurses, health care
workers, first responders,
and food industry work-
ers at drop-off locations
scattered throughout
New York City.