Why not spend 36 hours in the city that was made for a magical escape?

Dear CulinaryCorps Donor,

The fourth CulinaryCorps trip to New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast has just returned from their week of “culanthropy” in the city and beyond. The week was an incredible amalgamation of cooking, learning and connecting. And although we have all returned to our homes exhausted, we are proud to have contributed to the widespread recovery efforts.

As always, the success of this trip relied on three core actions:

1. The dedication of our volunteer cooks

2. The soul-warming hospitality of our community project and event partners

3. And donations from people like you! Without your monetary help, CulinaryCorps would not have been able to…

…Create a fundraising “Brunch Without Borders” for the Holy Angels Farmers Market, the only source of fresh produce in the Upper and Lower Ninth Ward. The menu included Heuvos Rancheros using market fresh cilantro pesto, sweet potato rostis, spiced crepes with Praline sauce and lots of local citrus….

Annie S. and Chris C. work on the Spiced
Crepes with Praline Sauce

…Design and launch the “St. Rose Holiday Food Fest”, in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The evening welcomed nearly two hundred hungry guests gathered to thank their local volunteers working tirelessly through the St. Rose Outreach and Recovery initiative to rebuild homes in the area. Extra revenue was created through the sales of our cookbook, “From Our Kitchen to Yours”, a collection of the recipes executed that evening….

The efforts of the St. Rose Outreach Initiative
have helped put dozens of residents back into
their homes.

…Feed three hundred Habitat for Humanity volunteers at Camp Hope, the housing facility hosting thousands of volunteers dedicating time to build homes from the ground up across the city. We once again had the opportunity to work side-by-side with an incoming AmeriCorps NCCC kitchen crew, teaching these amazing young volunteers how to cook in large quantities and put a little bit of love into every bite.

Deb F., Duke A. and NCCC volunteers getting ready
to deep fry oysters, generously donated by
P&J Oyster

…Lead the third grade class at Samuel Green Charter through an “Edible Scavenger Hunt” at the Crescent City Farmers Market in conjunction with The Edible Schoolyard NOLA…

Donovan and second time CulinaryCorps
volunteer Lamont S. discover
edible wonders at the market.

…And then turn those ingredients into a beautiful meal in the classroom!

A busy Samuel Green cook

…Learn first-hand about the history of one of the city’s oldest restaurants, Antoine’s, by cleaning and archiving memorabilia damaged in the storm under the guidance of The Southern Food and Beverage Museum…

Maria N. sorts through old
menus in Antoine’s
Japanese Room

…Co-design the menu specials at Cafe Reconcile alongside their students - a talented group of budding young cooks. The dining room filled up and the Cubano Sandwich sold out!

Third time volunteer and co-leader
Viviana A. with a budding chef

…and connect with the food, the chefs, the stories, the foodways, the recipes and the fate of Louisiana and Mississippi. In the end, your dollars went further than you’ll ever know.

Thank you for your generosity to CulinaryCorps and please remember that our work has just begun.

With warmth and thanks,

Christine, Founder