NORTHAMPTON — Inside Manna Community Kitchen at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Chris Ware leads a small group of volunteers helping to prepare to feed an expected 250 people for the day. Today’s meal includes chicken and pasta cooked with sun-dried tomato, basil and pesto, served with a side of roasted squash.
It’s the latest complete meal created by the kitchen under the guidance of Ware, who runs Jake’s restaurant on King Street and has brought a professional chef’s experience to the community kitchen over the last three weeks. Ware works with Heather Culver, Manna’s kitchen lead, along with a small group of volunteers to prepare complete meals that include protein, starch and vegetables.
“I got a call from a friend of mine who had worked with Manna in the past, who said some culinary gaps have to be filled,” Ware told the Gazette, in between prepping the pasta. “I basically walked in and I met Heather, who’s been invaluable to show me the ropes around here.”
Culver, in turn, said Ware’s presence has allowed her and volunteer staff to learn to operate at a more professional-grade level of food production to serve those who frequent the kitchen.
“He’s a great mentor. It’s valuable skills that I didn’t have in here that I’m gaining from him,” Culver said. “There’s items that we have in here that we haven’t had before, like the rondeau pans he brought over,” she added, referring to a large pan used in commercial kitchens for searing or braising food.
Unlike in a commercial kitchen, Manna is more limited in what they can afford to make, with food provided entirely by donations from places like Smith College, local retail shops and community garden. The challenge then for Ware and the kitchen team is how to provide complete, healthy and tasty meals with the limited items they have.
“You have to be pretty creative of what you can use,” Ware said. “It’s a bit of a “Top Chef” idea of, here’s your ingredients, and how do you produce that into balanced meals for 250 individuals per day?”
Travis Maider, a member of Manna’s board, helps chop onions in the kitchen as one of the volunteers who assists Ware with meal preparation.
“The nice thing is, we can all kind of go off and do our own thing, but then if we ever have questions, Chris is here to guide us,” Maider said. “To have someone who’s got that wealth of experience and time things and manage a kitchen it’s a new era for Manna.”
The community kitchen has been in a state of transition since the departure of Executive Director Lee Anderson in December. Under Anderson’s leadership, Manna became known for providing fresh food every day and maintaining a group of over 300 volunteers to help with services.
Kaitlyn Ferrari, the interim program manager for Manna, said the kitchen was looking to hire a permanent full-time cook for its kitchen for the fall. But in the meantime, she said Ware’s contributions have proved invaluable in upgrading their kitchen services.
“We’ve never had a professional cook, so he’s helping us with our inventory, getting better systems in place, having a more streamlined experience so we can save money,” Ferrari said. “Chris has been such a positive addition. Kitchen life can be kind of stressful, and he makes it so easygoing.”
Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.
