How Chefs José Andrés And Marcus Samuelsson Are Giving Back In Miami

Photo Credit: SOBEWFF

Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s highly-anticipated Red Rooster restaurant in Overtown hasn’t even officially opened its doors to the public yet, but it is already giving back as it partners with World Central Kitchen and Food Rescue US, serving as the Miami Community Food Hub.

Partnering with Chef José Andrés’ non-profit organization, World Central Kitchen—which most memorably served millions of meals to Puerto Rican citizens after the destruction of Hurrican Maria—the combined forces will serve limited meals offered to-go from the Red Rooster restaurant.

Photo Credit: Food Rescue US

This initiative began on Friday, March 27, running from 12-4 p.m.—or until all the food was distributed—and is set to run Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Friday’s moving forward. At the station, they will, of course, be abiding by social distancing guidelines to limit people six feet apart from each other, with only small groups let in at a time. Red Rooster Overtown Partner and Haute 100-lister Michael Simkins has contributed additional funds to the relief effort through the Simkins Family Foundation, in addition to opening Red Rooster’s doors for the cause.

“We are proud that Overtown can be a beacon of hope for Miami, supporting workers and members of our local community who have been devastated by these overwhelming circumstances,” Simkins said.

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“We must fight food insecurity during this time of crisis, which is why we are proud to open our brand-new Red Rooster Overtown to work with incredible partners like World Central Kitchen and Food Rescue US to safely provide meals in this time of need,” shared Samuelsson.

Photo Credit: Food Rescue US

In addition to opening its Red Rooster Overtown doors, Samuelsson has also done the same for his original NY roots, partnering with World Central Kitchen at his sister Red Rooster restaurant in Harlem.

In this time of need, it’s incredible to see Miami’s leading forces coming together to serve a greater cause. While this may not be the way Samuelsson envisioned debuting Red Rooster to Miami, it’s certainly on-brand for him and Andrés, who both share a deep philanthropic passion for giving back to others in need, especially during times of crisis.

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Over the past year, Food Rescue US – Miami has achieved much success, providing an impressive 250,000 meals and keeping 300,000 pounds of food from landfill under the leadership of Ellen Bowen. They have continued operation of the food hub through their newly-formed COVID-19 Response Fund and initial funder and Haute 100-listers, David and Leila Centner.