SFCC's World Central Kitchen feeds the hungry - Albuquerque Journal

SFCC’s World Central Kitchen feeds the hungry

Copyright © 2020 Albuquerque Journal

Rocky Durham, executive chef at Sunrise Springs Spa Resort, serves up red chile chicken enchiladas for over 300 people in the culinary department at Santa Fe Community College. He said they had fed about 3,000 people last week. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)

Even during the coronavirus pandemic, Santa Fe is maintaining its high profile in the culinary world.

World Central Kitchen, the humanitarian food distribution effort led by superstar chef José Andrés, has joined forces with Santa Fe Community College’s culinary arts program to help feed hungry New Mexicans over the next eight weeks.

It is the first World Central Kitchen program located in the Southwest and the first to be operated on a community college campus.

Founded by Andrés in 2010, World Central Kitchen calls itself a team of “food first responders” that helps heal communities during times of crisis. It has served more than 17 million meals to those affected by natural disasters in such countries as Haiti, Mexico, Venezuela and the United States.

The SFCC program, which is cooking up such New Mexican specialties as enchilada casserole, green chile stew and posole, had a soft launch last week. About 2,000 to 3,000 meals a day will be distributed through an organized drive-up at the college on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 2 to 4 p.m.

Tomatoes grown in greenhouses at Santa Fe Community College are washed to help feed people. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)

The meals will also be distributed by Santa Fe Public Schools bus drivers to SFPS students and their families. Last week, the World Central Kitchen program also began bringing food to a pueblo, which it has chosen not to identify to honor the privacy of the Native Americans who live there.

Food trucks may be part of the distribution picture, too, especially in the former mining town turned arts community of Madrid south of Santa Fe, where the economy has been devastated by the lack of tourism.

The partnership between World Central Kitchen and SFCC was forged by Robert Egger, a Cerrillos resident who is serving as a food security adviser to Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber.

Egger is a longtime friend of Andrés and has had a long career leading charitable meal programs. He helped launch the DC Central Kitchen and the LA Kitchen, which together have produced more than 50 million meals during their tenure.

Jennifer Warren, left, a student in the culinary arts program at Santa Fe Community College, Jerome Samuel, a former student in the program, and Micaela Deaton, a pastry instructor at the college, chop potatoes at the school. They, along with other chefs and students, are making meals to feed hundreds of people in the community each day. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)

“Our goal is to produce and distribute thousands of healthy meals on a daily basis, with a hefty dose of traditional New Mexico ingredients,” said Egger. “We want to make sure we reach folks in the most rural or challenged communities, where the economic ripples of COVID-19 have been most devastating.”

Asked to place a value on the collaboration between World Central Kitchen and SFCC, Egger responded, “You can’t place a price tag on serving your community.”

Egger noted the program isn’t just a response to coronavirus, but to the economic fallout that has ravaged New Mexico’s tourism-based economy.

The World Central Kitchen-SFCC venture is bringing together volunteers from the community, SFCC students in the college’s culinary arts program and star chefs from Santa Fe restaurants. The city’s eateries have largely been shut down, except for takeout orders, by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s emergency orders aimed at stopping the pandemic’s spread.

Among the culinary stars who have answered the call from SFCC Culinary Arts Program Chef Jerry Dakan are Sllin Cruz, executive chef of Geronimo on Canyon Road; Rocky Durham, executive chef at Sunrise Springs Spa Resort in La Cienega; and David Sellers, program director and executive chef of Albuquerque’s Street Food Institute, who spent 10 years as chef at Santacafé.

Sal Blakemore, left, a former student of the culinary arts program at SFCC, and Chloe Friedland, an instructor in the program, season pork butt to make green chile stew at the college Thursday April 30, 2020. They, along with other chefs and students are making food to feed hundreds of people in the community each day. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)

Efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus through the SFCC program are being overseen by SFCC Dean of Sciences, Health, Engineering and Math Jenny Landen. When volunteers and visitors arrive at the SFCC’s industrial kitchens where the meals are being prepared, their temperature is taken to make sure they don’t have a fever. They are also given disposable gloves and face masks if they don’t have them.

“SFCC Foundation established the Student Emergency Assistance Fund to help students stay focused on their studies by providing emergency funds now and in the future,” said SFCC Foundation Board President Carmen Gonzales. “The efforts of World Central Kitchen complement those of the SFCC Foundation by ensuring students remain hungry to succeed in their education – not hungry for food.”

Home » Journal North » Journal North Recent News » SFCC’s World Central Kitchen feeds the hungry

Insert Question Legislature form in Legis only stories




Albuquerque Journal and its reporters are committed to telling the stories of our community.

• Do you have a question you want someone to try to answer for you? Do you have a bright spot you want to share?
   We want to hear from you. Please email yourstory@abqjournal.com

taboola desktop

ABQjournal can get you answers in all pages

 

Questions about the Legislature?
Albuquerque Journal can get you answers
Email addresses are used solely for verification and to speed the verification process for repeat questioners.
1
La Luz Elementary School students were originally expected to ...
ABQnews Seeker
Originally, the district's plans were to ... Originally, the district's plans were to move students out in 2025. Now, APS wants to do it this fall.
2
New Mexico to offer free virtual tutoring this summer ...
ABQnews Seeker
The Public Education Department is offering ... The Public Education Department is offering free tutoring in reading for early elementary school students and in math for sixth graders, areas that were ...
3
In final hours of session, advocates mourn special ed ...
ABQnews Seeker
With hours left in the legislative ... With hours left in the legislative session, it's not clear the Special Education Act will become law this year.
4
Shorter summer break, longer school year: APS considering calendar ...
ABQnews Seeker
Students' summer breaks may be cut ... Students' summer breaks may be cut at least a week short under calendar changes APS is considering.
5
New Mexico Senate confirms Arsenio Romero as new public ...
ABQnews Seeker
Romero’s confirmation comes after a “revolving ... Romero’s confirmation comes after a “revolving door” of cabinet secretaries, but supporters say he’s uniquely suited to the job.
6
Enrollment in New Mexico universities and colleges is up ...
ABQnews Seeker
Spring semester enrollment grew by more ... Spring semester enrollment grew by more than 5,000 students from the same time last year
7
'Robotics evangelist': two Albuquerque juniors receive top honor
ABQnews Seeker
Both teachers in their own right, ... Both teachers in their own right, Aimee Linebarger and Gray Sherwood, both Albuquerque juniors, have been recognized for their robotics chops by one of ...
8
Sinkholes swallow school year: Los Ranchos charter students sent ...
ABQnews Seeker
Students at North Valley Academy will ... Students at North Valley Academy will finish out the year from behind computer screens, the school announced Friday, as the school grapples with a ...
9
What would it take to provide free school meals ...
Education
While the initiative could put New ... While the initiative could put New Mexico on the national forefront of universal school meals, growing enough fruits, vegetables and other food could prove ...