Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, renowned chefs and the founders of Border Grill, BBQ Mexicana and Socalo, have teamed up with World Central Kitchen to support victims and first responders in the Los Angeles-area fire disaster.
NeonFeast founder, food writer and Food and Loathing cohost Al Mancini talks to Feniger and Milliken about their efforts in Los Angeles.
This article shares a truncated portion of the conversation. The full interview will be available on the Food and Loathing podcast this Friday, January 31.
Please consider donating to relief efforts. We have embedded links throughout the article for information on fundraising organizations and restaurants.
Al Mancini: You guys are not just getting through it [yourselves]–I can’t imagine the amount of strength and emotional energy that [it] takes with what you’re going through–but you’re also out there on the front line, helping people along with World Central Kitchen… and it’s just proof of how this industry always comes together to help your communities.
Could you tell me a bit about what you’ve been doing?
Mary Sue Milliken: I’ll tell you, keeping busy is the best coping mechanism for me, so it’s just a godsend to feel useful when you feel so useless in the face of mother nature and her, you know, amazing strength.
It’s just sort of in our DNA, and so that’s… been great for our team… Obviously we couldn’t do 16,000-30,000 meals or whatever we’re up to without a huge team of people who are really dedicated.
Susan Feniger: You know what is so incredible about our team [is that it was] completely spur of the moment: everybody, without [any] hesitation… jumped in when World Central Kitchen reached out, just jumped into action and [started] producing.
At some point over at Socalo, we got a request from World Central Kitchen at noon. Was it possible to do 600 meals for 5 o’clock that night… and get it to Pasadena? What’s really amazing is how the restaurant community–and I mean our team, for sure–just jumps in because, like Mary Sue said, you’re dying to figure out a way to help, even a little tiny bit, rather than just sit there and watching the news.
[It’s] just like such an inspirational time within the industry to see how people come and step up.
Al: And speaking of people who have come and stepped up I know that you’ve been out with a Socalo/Border Grill [food] truck and it’s been both at the convention center, I believe, and also at various meal sites. And you’ve had some celebrities come out and help you with that. Could you talk a bit about that?
Mary Sue: Yeah, it’s great. It’s so much fun to see people use their notoriety to really draw attention and awareness to… the need.
‘Prince Harry and Meghan Markle worked at the truck… helping [to serve] meals. [Also actress] Jennifer Garner and, of course, José Andrés [of World Central Kitchen], who is a superstar, a rockstar [and] amazing visionary was there.
Susan: Let me think… [California] Governor [Gavin] Newsom [and his wife] came and helped serve.
I think the thing that’s so incredible about that celebrity status is when it’s used in this way, it’s such a powerful tool to raise people’s awareness.
I’ve been walking our dog in the neighborhood [and] this morning I had three different neighbors say that they saw something on the news and, of course, they see [big names] there and stepping up.
[They are also saying that] they made donations to the World Central Kitchen, so it’s so important to raise awareness because that money is going to José’s organization, the non-profit World Central Kitchen, which is helping restaurants to be able to participate in their organizing so that things are [not so] chaotic.
Al: What matters is if you see those celebrities and that reminds you, ‘Oh! I haven’t made a donation yet,’ or ‘Oh, I haven’t donated enough…’
So I hope everybody listening right now goes onto the World Central Kitchen website, no matter what you’ve given so far and just give another five bucks. If you’ve haven’t already given, give something more than that.
Mary Sue: It’s gonna be a long haul. It’s not over; the fires are not even over. The rebuild is gonna be… massive. I mean, we’ve lost… I think it’s over 16,000 buildings… and so many of them are homes, and we were already [in] a pretty tight housing market.
Al: I’d like you to explain is what it’s like to be there, what people are going through, and what these meals mean to them.
Susan: They are so grateful to have a smiling face serve them; whether it’s a cold meal or a hot meal, you have something that’s comforting and makes them feel taken care of. And you know a smiling face just checking in and have it you know and that I think has been amazing.
They’re so absolutely so grateful, and the flip side of that, I think, for us, [is] if you know when the firefighters [are] coming through and they’re so grateful, like, oh my God, [we think] ‘you guys are the ones that are working 24-hour shifts!’
They come with smiles and you think, like, it must just be incredible: the emotional challenge and the danger that you know… first responders are facing and yet [they are] coming down to [people ready to help them] have a warm meal.
Susan: It’s very raw still. I mean, I’ve had several people break down in tears in my arms… it’s just been a very intense kind of emotional time, but the beauty of being together and being able to, you know, hold that woman, or hand that rattled a firefighter or national guardsman or policeman… a big, beautiful hot curry chicken dinner… it’s great.
Al: Wow. And, if you’ve been displaced in LA, I want to tell people that your restaurant Socalo is offering a 15% discount on dining and takeout.
Also, [how can] guests in Vegas support the WCK relief efforts directly when they dine-in or order online?
Susan: At BBQ Mexicana and Border Grill, [whether] you’re coming to eat or you’re ordering it to go… there’s an easy link that you can just click on [our websites], and that donation will go directly to World Central Kitchen.
