Gastown’s Dirty Apron delivers 6,000 meals in Downtown Eastside

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The chefs behind a Gastown cooking school, The Dirty Apron, are challenging you to buy a meal for a senior, a veteran, person with a disability, or one of the many others isolated in the Downtown Eastside.

Chef David Robertson says he was blown away when he heard how many were in need, but the initial burst of donations is fast running out and more help is needed.

Robertson and partner Chef Takashi Mizukami have partnered with the Whole Way House Society (WWHS) to deliver what has so far amounted to more than 6,000 meals in four weeks.

“It’s something they look forward to each day: a good, nutritious meal coming to their door,” says Robertson.

From “good ‘ol chicken a la King” with rice, to “beautiful tomatoes and meatballs with a little bit of shaved cheese on top,” or a beef stew, Robertson is finding a purpose creating healthy meals.

He occasionally throws a seafood chowder into the rotation of four plates, each with a protein, vegetable, and starch.

“I get excited waking up because I feel like I’m going to do something with purpose right now,” he says in a proud tone.

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“Chefs are not meant to be sitting on a couch at home … I’m just so thankful for this opportunity that I can get up, I can go to my place of business, work with my team and serve meals for those that are in need.”

The Whole Way House Society already works directly with seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans on the DTES at Veteran’s Manor SRO.

Robertson credits the society’s president and co-founder, Jenny Konkin, and her team for their hard work on the frontlines every day.

It’s a far cry from the Veterans Manor’s monthly family dinners, that bring the membership together to connect and build relationships, but it is keeping bellies full for now.

“We can feel the love and we know that we’re all in this together,” says Konkin in a video asking for more donations (a tax receipt is available if you donate through the society).

The WWHS team leaves the food outside of people’s doors and those receiving the meals have the means to reheat them, according to Robertson.

A team of volunteers from Coastal Church is helping, as well as one of his out-of-work chefs.

He says the program is serving 10 buildings and delivered 1,500 meals last week, aiming for 2,000 in the coming days. Right now, the team is taking Sundays off to take care of themselves.

“I’m working more right now than when I had my doors open,” says Robertson, who tells NEWS 1130 he regretfully had to lay off his staff when the crisis became “very real, very fast,” about six weeks ago.

Thankfully, the team behind the popular cooking school set aside a contingency fund to cover overhead costs in the case of an emergency, and expects they can cover most of their expenses for up to the better part of a year.

Right now, he’s trying to raise as much money as he can to keep the thousands of meals coming.

Laughing, he says helping others right now has been a blessing for his family; his wife, for one, is happy he is out of the house.