Good news story: Chefs go the extra mile to help the NHS, elderly and mental health charities

We are continuing our series of news features of  women in the food industry who are putting their skills and experience to great use by helping others in this challenging time.  This week we are featuring two chefs whose work is  supporting NHS staff, the elderly and a mental health charity in London and in Bristol.

Sally Abé is Head chef London’s only Michelin-starred pub, The Harwood Arms. She is working with St. Cuthbert’s Centre, a 30-year-old charity that was joined by Refettorio Felix in 2017 through a collaboration with Chef Massimo Bottura’s non-profit organisation Food for Soul.

Sally said: “I’m helping out at Reffetorio Felix and we’re cooking food for the NHS through charity Hospitality for Heroes, Age UK and a mental health charity called Smart. We’re doing 360 meals a day – 100 for the NHS and 100 for Age UK.  It’s nice to be able to help the community, definitely a positive in all the doom and gloom.”

Romy Gill MBE is a British/Indian chef, food/travel writer and broadcaster based in Bristol. She has launched a fundraising campaign “Dine in with Romy Gill for the NHS.”

“As we are all aware in the current situation, NHS staff and volunteers are doing amazing work right now in caring for COVID-19 patients. Together we can show our respect and gratitude while they continue to fight this virus. To show my support I will be raising money by cooking a limited number of dine in for two meals with all monies going towards NHS Charities Together.”

You may also be interested in our Doing Good with Food story on how Manchester chef Mary-Ellen McTague is taking the lead to help feed NHS staff.

Look out for more good news stories as we cover how women are doing good with food during the lockdown and beyond. Be the first to hear by signing up to our newsletter.