It takes a (well-fed) village
How Atlanta chefs and restaurateurs fuel the city’s charitable causes
The Giving Kitchen may be the cause that Hall supports most — he’s among the founders and board members — but it is far from unique in benefitting from Hall’s contributions and those of his fellow Atlanta chefs. A few days after the Giving Kitchen’s fundraiser, Hall led a cooking class supporting the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Days later he was among a handful of chefs contributing to a chef’s dinner auction that raised thousands for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. A week after that, Hall took part in another dinner supporting Meals on Wheels Atlanta, cooking alongside chefs Kevin Rathbun, Gerry Klaskala, Nick Leahy and Zeb Stevenson. As they say, it takes a village.
No value assignedJust ask any local nonprofit or community organization — Atlanta chefs and restaurateurs like Hall are critical advocates, serving up bountiful helpings of sustenance in the form of food, time and dollars. In an industry known for being charitable, the movers and shakers of Atlanta’s restaurant world just seem to move and shake extra hard. When one of their own needs help, they throw a potluck — like the one that happened just this past weekend, bringing together a who’s who of the city’s top culinary talents to help Jason Fisher, sous chef at Decatur’s No. 246, in his fight against cancer. When the worst happens — like the untimely death of beloved Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q employee Cynthia Montoya — they use their restaurants to raise cash. The day after Montoya passed, 40 percent of all Fox Bros. proceeds went to her family for funeral costs.
“It’s rooted in our deep belief in hospitality,” Aria chef and owner Klaskala says of his community’s natural affinity for supporting local causes. “One of the first causes I got involved with many years ago was the Atlanta Community Food Bank. It just seemed natural for us as a restaurant. The fact that there are people going hungry in this country is ludicrous, so anyone with half a heart would support that. A lot of it becomes, if I can help, I will.”
Fox Bros.’ Justin and Jonathan Fox echo Klaskala’s sentiments. Like many of the restaurants in town that I spoke with, they sit down and review charitable donation requests every single week. Yes, every week. And a dozen or more requests in a single week is not out of the ordinary, ranging from local elementary school PTAs all the way up to major national charities. “We do say no sometimes,” Justin tells me. “We don’t say no as much as … well, I’m not going to say we ever should say no. Who am I to sit here and say no to a cause? If it’s something as simple as two pans of mac and cheese or a couple pounds of pork that will help a good cause, then we just want to make that happen. It’s the least we can do.”
No value assignedMost chefs and restaurateurs try to find a few causes to really get behind with their time and money, then find more affordable ways — like a pan of mac and cheese — to spread the support around. Terry Koval, chef and partner at the Wrecking Bar, is a frequent presence at fundraisers for causes all around the periphery of the local food scene. “What we choose to support,” he says, “has to be part of Wrecking Bar’s mission and culture. So the Giving Kitchen is a big one — since it goes directly back into helping others inside the restaurant community. Second to that, Wholesome Wave which helps increase access to affordable local produce, the Farmer Fund which aids local farmers in the face of natural disaster, and Georgia Organics which connects organic, locally grown food to families that need it are all very close to what we care about. Any farm event that has a good cause, hands down, I’m in on that.”
Deborah VanTrece, chef and owner of Twisted Soul, emphasized the need for restaurants like hers to balance supporting their communities with the realities of managing a small business. “Practicality is important — is a given charitable event something I can actually afford to take on? For example, I can’t cater an event for 400. I’m a little guy, so it’s hard to support causes where I’m donating everything right next to big companies that have millions of dollars.”
No value assignedPatrons at charity events where chefs provide meals or tastes often don’t realize the investment — in both time and money — made by the chef and restaurant. At an event like the Giving Kitchen’s annual fundraiser, for example, the more-than-50 restaurants in attendance each spent time over many weeks planning logistics, coordinating marketing and social media efforts with the charity, ordering ingredients, creating a dish and prepping it, then actually scheduling staff to set up, serve it up and then clean up after the event.
Because of these behind-the-scenes costs, VanTrece emphasized the importance of prioritizing causes, but then also demonstrated how quickly those priorities add up — especially in terms of time commitments. The most important contributions mainly require her presence, she says, demonstrating in-person that a black woman can be a success in the restaurant industry. “I may be a chef and restaurant owner 24/7, but I try to manage it so I have time to give back, because I’ve seen the impact my presence can make, especially with young ladies of color who are interested in cooking or entrepreneurship. I’m sometimes the real-live-walking-talking thing they dream about, and I’ve seen their faces when they hear what I do. It’s my responsibility and pleasure to be a beacon that they might not otherwise see.”
No value assignedVanTrece’s message for nonprofits and other causes seeking help from restaurants is to recognize that chefs simply can’t help everyone all the time. “We want people to continue to ask for our help and hope they don’t get upset with us if we can’t give it in the way they ask for it every time.”
Hall, a self-described “slut for charity,” couldn’t agree more, despite his reputation for bountiful giving. “The reality is that restaurant margins are shrinking, and as this business gets tougher, it’s hard to support every cause that comes along. Having a personal connection to a given cause counts for a lot — if you’re a great guest of ours and you support us, we want to support you, too.”
The obvious benefit for restaurants in supporting causes, especially in a world of razor thin profit margins, is getting their name out and reinforcing their bonds with the community. Justin Fox points out the value of participating directly in fundraising events, providing the type of hospitality they have mastered at their restaurant. “Every time we do these events, like Team Hidi, people see us actually there in person,” he says. “It makes an impact.”
Koval concurs: “If you can’t interact with people and show your hospitality, then it’s probably not the best way for a restaurant to support a cause. At events, we’re often able to talk to people for several minutes each, about the cause, about what we represent. Being there interacting with people is how we best support the local community.”
No value assignedMike Klank of Taqueria del Sol, though, insists that supporting causes isn’t dependent on any potential marketing value. You could call him a purist when it comes to doing good for good’s sake. “We try to be fairly anonymous about it, actually,” he says. “We do it because we want to support a cause. I think people in this industry are simply charitable people. We get to know our customers on a more intimate basis than most businesses — because we feed them! We become involved in their lives, and when we hear about something they’re involved in, it just hits home.”
Even though the hospitality industry goes out of its way to support causes all over the country, Atlanta’s restaurant community has been given a kind of unifying focal point with the Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit that directly engages and supports its own community. “What’s different here,” says Klaskala, “is that our chef community is especially tight. We are in this together. We get behind causes together. And the Giving Kitchen is one of most inspiring ideas I have ever seen.”
That idea that one industry-unifying charity has magnified the Atlanta restaurant community’s already strong role in supporting local causes was reinforced time and time again as I spoke with chefs around town. Hall summed it up nicely: “Atlanta might not have the biggest or baddest chef community in the country, or have all the accolades that some other cities do, but pound for pound, I really believe we are the most giving in an industry that is known for giving. And there’s pride in that.”