Our Newest Chef Preps for Thanksgiving

Chef Alonna Tuggles moved to the DC area from Rochester, NY last December to work at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center. On her daily commute, she saw homeless people along the streets and their image moved her to make a change in her life.

“I want to make a difference. I want to keep cooking. How can I do both?” she asked herself.

That's when Alonna remembered Food & Friends. She had volunteered to do meal delivery with Food & Friends in 2012, and it was an experience she never forgot. She checked in to see if the organization had any openings and luckily for all, Food & Friends was looking for a new chef.

Alonna began her role as opening chef on September 8. She arrives each day at 5:15 a.m. to start preparation of the frozen entrees before moving on to cooking the soup. With the help of the other chefs and a team of volunteers, she creates lunch and dinner for thousands of clients. Variations of the meals are made to support all dietary requirements. To provide a sense of the scope of the task, Alonna recently made 75 gallons of seafood chowder and 65 gallons of ratatouille!

However, daily preparations are small in comparison to the Thanksgiving meal Alonna will be making for the first time this year. “I am going to have to say a prayer before work that day,” she jokes. Led by executive chef Mark Locraft, the Food & Friends team will create 3,500 Thanksgiving meals. The meals will include a turkey, sides and pies - all the delicious dishes of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Thankfully, Alonna will have the support of volunteers, many of whom have some culinary experience, or have volunteered for years and are well-prepared to keep things running smoothly.

What is it like to work in a kitchen that relies on volunteers? “The volunteers want to be here,” Alonna says. “They bring an energy that wakes you up and makes you want to do your own job.”

Thanksgiving is the busiest day at Food & Friends, but Alonna already knows that at the end of it, she will list her role at Food & Friends as one thing she is thankful for this year. “It doesn’t feel like work because of the environment,” Alonna says. “You feel so welcomed in our kitchen. It is definitely ‘food and friends’. It’s such a happy place.”

Pie Sales Coming to a Close: Order While You Still Can!

Thanksgiving is getting closer. Do you know what you’re having for dessert?

If your mind is flooded with images of the season’s staples, freshly baked apple and pumpkin pies, you’re in luck and you’re just in time.

It is the last week to buy pies from Slice of Life before sales close on November 19th. Thousands have already been sold by our dedicated teams and sellers. But, we want to make this year extra special by exceeding our goal of selling 9,000 pies!

Purchasing a pie from Slice of Life doesn’t just make you the favorite at the dinner table come Thanksgiving Day; it really makes a difference in the community. Whether the pie is for yourself, a Food & Friends client, or you just make a donation, you are ensuring that someone with a life-challenging illness is getting healthy, home-delivered meals throughout the year.

Pies are available to be picked up on Tuesday, November 24th, from 12:00 pm until 8:00 pm. Pick up locations are at various CVS/pharmacy storefronts throughout the area. To find the most convenient location, go to http://www.sliceoflifedc.org/locations.cfm.

If you are unable to buy a pie this year, remember that any donation can help Food & Friends' clients year-round. You can make a contribution on the website or over the phone at (202) 269-6896.

Another way to help out is by volunteering at any of the 38 pick-up sites on November 24. There are three shift times to choose from and you will be able to pick the location you prefer. You will receive a Volunteer Training Call before the pick-up date to inform you of your duties and a volunteer t-shirt will be provided. Sign-Up to Volunteer.

We hope you can help us bring joy this holiday season to those who need it the most!

Food & Friends’ Critical Ingredients: Hope and Health

“This one’s a winner,” said SaVanna Wanzer at the end of a recent Food & Friends cooking class.

She is referring to the Maple Walnut Apple Crisp prepared by the group under the guidance of Food & Friends registered dietitians Sarah Muñiz and Jennifer Pasqua. “I definitely plan to make this over the holidays.”

SaVanna says she is at a good place going into this holiday season, stress-free and depression-free. But that has not always been the case. 

A native Washingtonian who has lived with heart problems since she was 16, SaVanna learned she had HIV when she went to donate blood while working at the Department of Veterans Affairs. That was in October 1985.

Rather than telling her in person, they broke the news in a letter that simply said she was not eligible to donate blood and should see a doctor to take an AIDS test. “I was devastated,” she says. As a transgender woman, she also faced rejection by close family members.

She turned to drugs and alcohol as an escape. Today, she is on a much different path, with a focus on addressing her obesity and diabetes with guidance from her Food & Friends dietitian Anna Kinnard.
“Dealing with HIV is tiresome,” says SaVanna. “And rejection by family members can send you into a depression.”

In contrast, at Food & Friends, she is “treated like a member of the family by everyone from the police officer who greets you at the door with a big smile to the nutritionist who gives you a warm hug to fellow clients who meet over cooking classes. Food & Friends provides two critical ingredients: hope and health.” At the end of the day, she says, “they are in the business of saving lives.”

With Anna’s help, SaVanna’s diabetes is under control. She has added vitamins to her diet and is learning to make better choices relating to food.

This Thanksgiving, she is one of 600 clients who will receive a free Food & Friends holiday meal – enough food to serve five people. She plans to share the spread with three transgender youth she mentors. “I want my brothers and sisters to know there is hope after HIV,” she says.

Perfect Thanksgiving Side Dish: Butternut Squash & Orzo

Butternut Squash & Orzo is an easy-to-make, delicious side dish full of nutrition. You can easily convert the recipe to a satisfying main dish simply by adding your favorite protein. Or leave out the protein and enjoy this sweet and savory seasonal treat alongside your Thanksgiving turkey.

Serving Size

Serves 6, ½ cup orzo and 1 piece of squash per serving

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Pinch ground cayenne pepper
• ¾ cup orzo pasta
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Pinch ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Rinse and cut squash in half. Remove seeds.
• If using fresh rosemary, rinse and chop now.
• Drizzle 1 teaspoon maple syrup over the cut side of each squash half. Sprinkle each with red pepper flakes and cayenne. If using rosemary, add now.
• Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place squash halves on the baking sheet. Roast until squash is tender and pierces easily with a fork, about 30–35 minutes. Remove from oven. Keep squash loosely covered with foil.
• Cook pasta following package directions. Drain in a colander. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add butter, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat well.
• Cut each squash half into thirds. Remove skin from squash. Serve one piece of squash over each portion of pasta.
• If using grated Parmesan cheese, sprinkle over squash and orzo now.

Courtesy of cookingmatters.org 

Abbe Levin: Hammin' It Up on Thanksgiving

With a background in theater, it’s no surprise that Abbe Levin is a bit of a ham. Or should we say turkey. For the past several Thanksgivings, she has brought joy to our clients by delivering meals while wearing her signature turkey hat.

Delivering meals “is a beautiful way to spend the holiday,” says Abbe. “People are so genuinely happy to see you and share in the joy of the day. I think of it as reaching out to friends I haven’t met yet.”

A native Washingtonian, Abbe first began delivering meals while working in New York City as an actor. Working with nonprofit organizations such as Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (a funder of Food & Friends) and God's Love We Deliver, she packed meals into her car to take to older adults, people with HIV/AIDS and others living with chronic illnesses.

Twelve years ago, Abbe moved back to the D.C. to help care for her aging parents, Chuck and Marge Levin, and manage Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center – the family business they founded in 1958. After both parents passed away, she found herself with free time to volunteer on holidays. That is when she connected with Food & Friends, offering to deliver meals over the winter holidays.

“I love doing the food delivery,” says Abbe, who in recent years has been joined by her colleague from the music store, Gloria Williams. “There’s something very calming, very comforting in delivering meals on Thanksgiving,” she says, pointing out that it puts her in a good mood going into the frenzy of Black Friday.

Abbe credits her parents with instilling in their children a philanthropic spirit and genuine compassion for others. “They were the kind of people I aspire to be,” she says.

So was her brother, Robert, who passed away suddenly two years ago at the age of 55 after a short illness. She still remembers the profound statement he made at the end of his life: “I’m so lucky,” she recalls him saying. “I have people to care for me. But what happens to th
ose who aren’t so lucky? What do they do?”

Abbe thinks about that every time she delivers a meal. “Thank goodness for organizations like Food & Friends, who step in and help until a cure is found – or just until…” she says in a voice filled with compassion.