February 18, 2020
Chefs create pop-up soup kitchen
Sweet Lew’s served free meals to those in need
(From left to right) Chefs Michael Bowling, Andre McCullough, Vance Houser, Greg Collier, Heal Charlotte’s Greg Jackson, and Lewis Donald. Photo courtesy
I have lived in Charlotte for 15 years, and am repeatedly reminded that this is a very giving, sharing, caring community. Within the broad base of people who do good, the people who work in food service are near the top of the pyramid. Chefs, business owners, bartenders, and servers regularly support charitable events with time, food, service and good humor — often on their own dimes. Many chefs are also business owners, so their rare days off are often spent catching up on life (and sleep).
On Monday, five area chefs used their days off to make delicious, heartwarming soups to feed the neighborhood, students, homeless and anyone else who wanted to join them at Sweet Lew’s BBQ, which is usually closed on Mondays. A few weeks ago, chef and business owner Lewis Donald (who also owns Dish in Plaza Midwood) spoke with Chef Greg Collier (The Yolk, Leah & Louise) about his idea to share food with the underserved populations around his Belmont Avenue location.
According to Donald, he wanted to show appreciation for the support he has received from the neighborhood since he opened Sweet Lew’s. Chef Greg Collier signed up, and so did Chef Vance Houser of Dish. Chef Michael Bowling of Hot Box Kitchen and Chef Andre McCollough of Sweet Lew’s also wanted in, and the group decided to hold the event on a Monday, when restaurants are generally closed. There was not a lot of PR about this event, because the chefs really wanted word of mouth to spread among the shelters, church kitchens, CMS schools, and the neighborhood to bring in people who would most appreciate high quality food for free.
The soups were wonderful, creative, and lively, from BBQ stew (Chef Lew), to West African vegan peanut (Chef Greg), smoked salmon bisque (Chef Michael), Asian vegetable (Chef Vance), and chicken and sausage gumbo (Chef Andre). The build-up of customers was slow at first, but word spread around the neighborhood and many more people joined the festive atmosphere. The leftover soup was delivered to various shelters in the area.
The chefs plan to collaborate on similar events throughout the year, hopefully each quarter. They are thinking of meals that are portable and nutritious, and discussing the best way to reach the in-need populations they aspire to serve. The display of good hearts and devoted care for others on Monday was awe-inspiring. These very generous chefs are making their part of the world a better place, one full stomach at a time. —Anita Skogland
This is a great initiative. I would love to volunteer to help serve/prep/whatever if they have a need for more hands. Please pass my name along to whomever is “in charge” so they can add me to the list of helpers….. Thanks, Henny