American Album - Finding Purpose in Serving the Needy, Not Just Haute Cuisine - NYTimes.com

American Album - Finding Purpose in Serving the Needy, Not Just Haute Cuisine - NYTimes.com:

"In an era in which food politics are increasingly part of the national conversation and organic chefs are lauded in glossy magazines, Mr. Hammack and a growing number of talented colleagues are applying their creativity and commitment to serving the lost and needy. They are working at food banks and shelters in places like Winston-Salem, N.C., and Richmond’s so-called Iron Triangle, a neighborhood synonymous with poverty, bounded by railroad tracks.



About 40 trained chefs now work at 28 food banks affiliated with Feeding America, a nonprofit network based in Chicago, double the number a decade ago, said Ross Fraser, a spokesman.

At the D.C. Central Kitchen in Washington, the estimated 11,000 volunteers include acclaimed chefs like Ris Lacoste.

“Food is really the base level of our humanity, our culture, our spirituality,” said Michael F. Curtin Jr., the chief executive of the kitchen and a former restaurateur.

Mr. Hammack’s own story begins with his grandmother Nola Lilly Hammack, who was born in Oklahoma and bequeathed her grandson her Dust Bowl know-how for making memorable meals from humble ingredients. Among them were dandelion greens braised in apple cider vinegar, spaghetti sauce from tomatoes sun-dried on window screens, and po’ boy pudding — water, flour, bacon fat and spices.

A dedicated churchgoer, Mr. Hammack realized after two years that an entire career spent cooking for the affluent would not fulfill him. Today, he leads a double life, spending weekdays at the mission and weekends catering in San Francisco with a company he founded, Bohemian Elegance.

In 2002, the mission teamed up with the local community college, where those who have graduated from the recovery program can go on to a full-fledged cooking school...