CulinaryCorps is thrilled to be one of the feature interviews in Dorothy Cann Hamilton’s latest book, Love What You Do: Building a Career in the Culinary Industry.

For those of you toying around with the idea of entering the culinary industry, this is a must-read.  The pages are full with practical, time-tested advice as well voices of people living out their own culinary dreams.  Like a gentle, guiding hand, Love What You Do delivers a perfect mixture of reality and optimism.

Our verdict?  A great stocking stuffer for all those “chefs-to-be” in your life.

On Friday, November 20th Christine Carroll, Founding Director, sat down with Terry Trespacio of Martha Stewart Radio for a 20-minute interview about CulinaryCorps.   If you have Sirius Radio, tune into the Whole Living show every day from 11pm-12pm!

On Saturday, December 6th Viviana Acosta-Padial, Program Coordinator, interviewed with Evan Kleiman on her KCRW Good Food show.  It was our second time on the program, and Viviana took special care to explain our Puerto Rico sojourn. To listen to the show, please visit the streaming version here.

A huge thanks to both shows for taking the time to spread the word about CulinaryCorps.  In this time of giving, we hope our mission resonated with those who are passionate about food and support change in their world.

2. Cook Up a Storm
“We use culinary skills to do good,” says Culinary Corps founder Christine Carroll. For a recent project, 12 cooks flew to New Orleans for a week to whip up meals for Habitat for Humanity crews, among other undertakings. Although the organization generally requires professional kitchen experience or a culinary degree, “there’s a bit of wiggle room,” says Carroll; non-cooks who want to contribute could help plan an upcoming trip. “It’s really incredible to see cooks blossom as chef-citizens,” she says.

Culanthropy: Two years ago, the New York City chef Christine Carroll was painting a New Orleans high school with a post-Katrina volunteer group when she realized that she was no painter. But she could cook; so could everyone she knew. And New Orleans needed nourishment. Once home, she started organizing CulinaryCorps, a charity that recruits squads of chefs and culinary student for weeklong trips to New Orleans, where they might be asked to cook dinner for a Habitat for Humanity crew one night and the still-stoveless residents of the Lower Ninth Ward the next.
Mornings are spent volunteering: teaching elementary-school kids about growing vegetables or helping to recover flood-damaged cookbooks from venerated restaurants. The focus is not just on feeding the hungry but also on keeping the city’s food traditions alive. “We give them our version of shrimp and grits, and then when they come back for seconds, they share their secret family recipes,” says Carroll.

Of the 75 chefs who have gone through the program, two have moved to New Orleans to make culinary philanthropy — or “culanthropy” – a full-time project. Next year, Carroll says, she hopes to take her Sauciers Sans Frontieres idea to places like Appalachia and Puerto Rico.

When a Vacation Just Isn’t a Vacation

In July, we traveled to Napa Valley to speak at this year’s TASTE 3 conference, Robert Mondavi’s summit at the intersection of food, wine and art. Sharing the vision of Culanthropy and the mission of CulinaryCorps with an audience of food and wine experts was both heart-warming and inspiring. For those of you not familiar with the conference, it is safe to say it is the best kept secret of the food/wine world. Run beautifully and efficiently, the three-day event affords participants experiences like no other. The setting alone, COPIA , is worthy of a trip. After the talk, we were overwhelmed as person after person came up to us with a smile, hugged us tightly and said “thank you”. A few days later we were delighted to be on the front page of the Napa Valley Register.

Next, we were invited to speak on Voluntourism.org, a website founded by David Clemmons that helps travelers find a way to give back while exploring their destinations. Our hour-long webcast had us discussing New Orleans, our unique model of engagement and the challenges we face as as an organization that hosts chefs that are both visitors and volunteers.

And lastly, we were delighted to be interviewed by The William & Mary Alumni Magazine. Our alma mater in Williamsburg, VA and where we first got our start cooking albeit for very social reasons; to win the hearts of our freshman hall mates with fresh blueberry muffins.