Photo Courtesy of Leila.
Sharing food at a common table is a human activity, something that touches all of us at our collective cores. We have been eating together for centuries, and that is what bonds people of all kinds. This reason, among many others, is why restaurants are so important – as well as the people who make the food, serve the food and take care of us when we visit.
Because of the coronavirus, restaurants and the people who work there are hurting. In fact, they’re in jeopardy in many ways, whether it is as an individual looking at losing a job or fewer hours at work, making bills stack up, or as a restaurant owner, considering issues around rent, keeping employees on or supporting their communities in the ways they want to do regardless of a pandemic.
One key way to support Metro Detroit restaurants is relatively easy: You can order takeout or delivery of their food. This keeps chefs in the kitchen. This keeps money coming in to cover rent, bills and paychecks. This shows support for the people who labor there and honors their efforts to feed and care for the places where they live and work.
This month, the Detroit Free Press and the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers are working together once again via Top 10 Cares to help restaurants as well as feed the healthcare heroes who are taking care of people and to feed those in need. Restaurants who have been part of the Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers’ Top 10 Best New Restaurants are participating as well, which highlights their collective dedication to Detroit and its neighbors as well as to the neighborhoods they serve.
Participating restaurants in the Top 10 Cares program include: Grey Ghost, SheWolf Pastificio & Bar, Mabel Gray, Ima, Leila, Marrow, Pernoi, Saffron De Twah, Folk , Yum Village, Balkan House, Chartreuse, Lady of the House, Takoi, Voyager, Wright & Company, Norma G’s, Hazel Ravines, M Cantina, La Noria and San Morello.
When talking about his participation this year in helping people with food and donated meals, Saffraon De Twah chef Omar Anani said something particularly profound – he talked about how food and preparing a meal makes him think about the dishes he loves and food people like his mother have made for him over the years.
In other words, it’s personal. No chef wants anyone to be hungry, no matter where they live or who they are.
“Our goal, ultimately, is to heal through food,” Anani said.
Top 10 Cares has a goal of providing 2,500 meals to Healthcare Heroes and another 2,500 to people in need. These meals will be delivered to participants during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Donations to cover the cost of making these meals will be collected through noon Tuesday, Dec. 22.
Each restaurant will receive $20 per meal, which they will use to cover food costs, containers and delivery. Any remaining dollars will help them cover their losses during 2020. Each restaurant will be paid by the number of meals they make for participants that week. If all goes to plan, these efforts will raise $100,000 for local restaurants as they provide 5,000 meals for Metro Detroit.