Palm Beach County restaurants, chefs organize relief efforts for Hurricane Ian survivors
A week after Hurricane Ian barreled through the Fort Myers area, a mini-wave of relief efforts arrived from Palm Beach County restaurants and chefs. Some set up meal distribution sites. Others offered to donate a portion of sales.
All gestures from the land of “it could have been us.”
That thought moved Jupiter chef and restaurateur David Schroeder and his team to drive to a Cape Coral church Tuesday, bringing enough trays of pasta to feed 400 storm survivors.
Brick and Barrel, Tavern Pi
“This storm hit 100 miles away, and it didn’t even rain here that day,” says David Schroeder, who owns Brick and Barrel and Tavern Pi restaurants in Abacoa. “We’re unaffected but people over there still don’t have power. Something as simple as a hot meal is unavailable.”
As storm-weary folks drove through the meal giveaway line, Schroeder’s crew would ask which of the day’s pastas they preferred. They had options, thanks to Tavern Pi chef Thomas Op’t Holt’s enterprising spirit – he cooked more than 300 pounds of pasta early that morning. He made spaghetti marinara, penne with meat sauce and baked rigatoni.
“We were giving them choices but people were saying, ‘I don’t care – just something hot. I haven’t had a hot meal in seven days,’” says Schroeder.
Food Editor: We say goodbye to a beloved pizza restaurant. Local chefs feed Hurricane Ian survivors.
Health Inspections: Violations temporarily close 5 restaurants from Boca Raton to Singer Island
Avocado Grill, Cantina and Field of Greens help storm survivors
A day earlier, West Palm Beach chef/restaurateur Julien Gremaud (Avocado Grill, Avocado Cantina) and Field of Greens partner Hess Musallet cooked a paella-size pan of jambalaya for storm survivors in Estero.
“To be there on the ground, cooking and hearing stories made the impact so much greater. Being able to provide a warm meal to someone who hasn’t eaten in days is something I can’t even put into words,” says Gremaud, who also carried over donated supplies for those impacted by the storm. “We had set up a collection at both restaurants and were blown away by the donations we received.”
Palm Beach Meats
The team at Palm Beach Meats, the gourmet meat market, eatery and pop-up space in West Palm Beach, organized a Friday night pop-up dinner they called Sando-Sake-Gyoza to raise money for food and supplies destined for the Fort Myers area. The team planned to drive to the Southwest coast Monday to deliver hot meals and supplies.
Driftwood
At Driftwood restaurant in Boynton Beach, chef Jimmy Everett and his team collected relief supplies for those impacted by the storm. They set out to deliver the donated items Thursday morning.
Piknik Sandwich Shop and French Bakery's collection drive
In Palm Beach Gardens, the cozy Piknik Sandwich Shop and French Bakery hosted a collection drive to gather supplies for storm survivors.
Other restaurants pledged to donate a portion of sales for hurricane relief efforts.
Delray restaurants donate percentage of sales to storm victims
In downtown Delray Beach, chef Suzanne Perrotto’s restaurants, Brule Bistro and Rose’s Daughter, pledged to donate 5% of all sales to help storm victims via the Volunteer Florida Foundation’s Florida Disaster Fund. The fundraiser goes through Sunday, Oct. 9.
Also in Delray Beach, the folks at Deck 84 are hosting a supplies drive on Oct. 13 to benefit Boca Raton’s Tri County Animal Rescue, which has taken in homeless dogs from hurricane-impacted areas on Florida’s Southwest coast. That “Pet Supplies and Sips” event takes place Thursday, Oct. 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Event details are posted at Deck84.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Hurricane Ian survivors: Local restaurants organize relief efforts
