Sarasota restaurant partners with José Andrés' World Central Kitchen for Hurricane Ian aid
The restaurant had made more than 10,000 hot meals for those in need as of Sunday, its co-proprietor said, with plans to make 5,000 more Monday.
Jimmy GeurtsOne of Sarasota's best-known restaurants has teamed up with an internationally renowned nonprofit founded by a celebrity chef to help feed those in need in Southwest Florida following Hurricane Ian's devastation.
Michael's on East has partnered with World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that provides meals in the wake of disasters founded by José Andrés, a chef and owner of restaurants across the country including Jaleo in Orlando and The Bazaar in Miami Beach. Founded in 2010 following the Haiti earthquake, World Central Kitchen has visited other locations including Panama City, Florida in 2018 amid Hurricane Michael, and was the subject of this year's Ron Howard-directed documentary "We Feed People."
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Reached by phone Monday morning, Michael's on East co-proprietor Michael Klauber said they had made a little more than 10,000 meals as of Sunday, with plans to prepare another 5,000 meals Monday.
“It’s an amazing organization, and what José has done around the world is something that everybody in my industry is so proud of because he’s the epitome of what giving back can be," Klauber said. "So there was no question when they asked us if we wanted to help, that we would definitely help them do that.”
Klauber said a client of theirs recommended them to World Central Kitchen, and they have been in touch with the organization through phone and email since early last week. Though the Midtown Plaza that houses Michael's on East suffered damage from the hurricane, Klauber said the restaurant fared well enough to reopen for dining, and since has been using its ballroom — which was also offered as a shelter for staff during the storm — as its staging area for preparing meals.
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Meals transported by Michael's on East staff to locations such as Port Charlotte
Klauber said they've worked to create balanced meals with proteins such as roasted chicken, hand-rolled meatballs or chicken cacciatore, carbohydrates such as rice or penne pasta, and vegetables including broccoli, green beans or corn. The meals are then transported by Michael's on East staff to hard-hit locations such as Port Charlotte.
World Central Kitchen's director of relief operations Fiona Donovan said that, along with preparing hot meals and sandwiches themselves, the organization has worked with around 30 restaurant and food truck partners. Meals from both World Central Kitchen and its partners are being distributed at established sites, with food trucks also able to deploy to more hyper-local communities.
World Central Kitchen moving to Fort Myers, where Andrés has been
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Initially operating since early last week out of Tampa, where Hurricane Ian was predicted to hit harder, World Central Kitchen is transitioning to a kitchen in Fort Myers, where Andrés has been in recent days. As of Monday, Donovan said World Central Kitchen had distributed more than 150,000 meals, including through its restaurant and food truck partners, and the operation keeps growing.
“We’re taking it day by day, but we do anticipate this being a large-scale and longer-term response," Donovan said. "There’s just so much need, and it’s still a critical need.”
Klauber said that as long as there's a need, Michael's on East plans to be there to help.
"Our staff, they’re excited to help and do our part," Klauber said. "We feel very fortunate that we’re lucky enough to be able to do that, and not be on the receiving end of those meals."
#ChefsforFlorida free meal sites in Englewood, Port Charlotte, Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach
Here are Monday's #ChefsforFlorida free meal sites, served from lunch until sunset, according to World Central Kitchen's Twitter account:
Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park: 6941 San Casa Drive, Englewood
Walmart: 19100 Murdock Circle, Port Charlotte
Publix Cape Coral Landings: 127 Cape Coral Parkway W., Cape Coral
South Trail Shopping Center: 3263 Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers
Fort Myers Beach: 33 Tropical Shore Way, Fort Myers Beach
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.