The 26th of March 2020 saw the country go into full lockdown following the advent Covid-19 in the country. For the first time, our industry together with many others came to a grinding halt. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would experience something only depicted loosely in the movies.

My schedule is usually packed, so needless to say I was bored on the first day of lockdown. On 27 March 2020 I received a message from my dear friend Caroline McCann to chat about a project she was driving called Our Social Kitchen.

Our Social Kitchen is an online “virtual restaurant” where chefs, cooks, bakers and other interesting people host 1 hour live cooking from their kitchens during self isolation. On 3 April I participated in my first “live” and definitely out of my comfort zone. What an experience it was. This then started another conversation.

By this point – the rapid spread of COVID19 and the subsequent lock down highlighted the deep inequalities that millions of South Africans face. Food security was at stake. Lives were at stake. There was also the issue of food wastage. Produce with a destination now had no where to go with the hospitality industry shut down.

Now was the time to use social media and smart technology to address food security and food wastage.

Soon after my first post for Our Social Kitchen Caroline asked if I’d be keen to cook and feed people in need. My reflex answer in mere seconds led to Caroline to arrange a permit for me to leave the comfort of home and head to the Thava Restaurant in Norwood. Here I met with Hanneke from NOSH Food Rescue NPC and a great Humanitarian, Chef Phillipe Frydman. Step in another good friend Chef Adrian Vigus Brown and we started ❤️ Food an initiative driven by Slow Food Chefs Alliance.

By the end of April, we gained the support of the SA Chefs Association and Strategic PR to form Chefs with Compassion which was officially born on 11 May 2020.

The core value of CWC is to rescue, cook and feed. In the first 10 days, we had outgrew our initial Sharehouse at Thava and were warmly welcomed to HTA School of Culinary Arts. We took advantage of the empty school at the time and occupied every space that we could find. The days and weeks ahead brought many challenges like what do we do when 4 tonnes of loose green beans have been offloaded? Or how do we rescue 8 tonnes of mayonnaise? We certainly did have alot of fun.

Soon we were more coordinated and had volunteers stepping up to lend a hand. The calls for meals were increasing. In our first week cooked 1250 meals. By week 8 this figure quickly jumped to 64000 meals in a week.

The journey of the past year – and in the middle of a pandemic – gave me the chance to meet some phenomenal people from across the country with a common shared purpose: to serve our communities. To the hubs, restaurants and beneficiaries for so willingly opening up your kitchens. I am grateful to them all for their compassion, time and hard work. The partners, donors and sponsors have been equally inspiring and dedicated. The incredible group of food rescuers from the markets, food retailers and farms who on a daily basis rescued produce before it ends up on the landfill – were just remarkable.

Today, we proudly stand at our own Sharehouse in City Deep, Johannesburg and are already on the lookout for bigger premises.

Reflecting on what we achieved this past year fills me with much emotion. We were able to rescue close to 700 tonnes of produce and prepare just over 1,7 million meals.

One year has given us a lifetime of memories and stories but most importantly the opportunity to give back to our wonderful country in some small way. Happy Birthday Chefs with Compassion! I wish you many more years of helping those in need, ending food waste and ultimately helping to bring starvation to an end in our country. Having access to food is a basic human right, let’s continue to Rescue, Cook and Feed!

I am grateful to my family and colleagues for walking this journey with me. I believe the almighty as well as the guiding spirits of my late grandparents, who instilled the Hindu values of Seva, have kept us grounded and focused on service to all of humanity.

Keep the passion!
Chef Coo