[Chef David Simpson]

Cooking is poetry and love
Ad some spice and warmth from above
Fire of life will make your feast
And sooth the soul of a hungry beast

Come down from your cloud
For an artful chef, far to proud
those in need of your helping start
Will soon enjoy a soup made from the heart


Please help the homeless this holiday season and give them a little hope!



[This message has been edited by Chef David Simpson (edited 11-09-2000).]

[Chef David Simpson]

Spread the word my friends. Help people remember why we are in this business. Let them know that cooking is feed the masses not just the "well-to-do"! Help a shelter in your area.

[Chef David Simpson]

Does anyone agree?

[This message has been edited by Chef David Simpson (edited 11-13-2000).]

[m brown]

Oui chef!

Give time, food and money 'cause we are all humans.

I will be cooking for a shelter once a month starting in Jan. I love doing it because you are feeding humanity when you help out another soul. Plus you gain insight into different customs, these are folks with pasts and traditions and we try to protect and accomidate that.

[Chef David Simpson]

I work on Christmas morning and do a dinner that same night. Some chefs seem to belittle the homeless people, I think their not very true to their profession. The ones who cook with passion and fury are the ones I commend and respect the most. Thank you m brown. It's people like you who make life worth living.

[UniChef]

We do the Coalition for the Homeless here in Orlando once a month. The chef there tells me that during the holidays they have so much food and help that they can't even use it all. Then the rest of the year they are scrapping the bottom of the barrel.

It's great to help the homeless and those in need, just remember them the rest of the year also.

[Mezzaluna]

What a great poem, Chef David. My former synagogue was so small that we couldn't take weekly duty at the local soup kitchen, so we took all the Christian holidays (and then some) and made the meals for about 150-200 people. I was in charge for 5 years. It was so satisfying to come in at 8 a.m., having shopped the previous day, to prepare homemade soup, baked turkey or ham, potatoes, etc. for the meal. I got to use a 10-burner range (do they call that a piano??) and all the 'real' kitchen equipment to my heart's content. I also fed the volunteers. I had an old, grizzled guy grabbed me by the arm as I ladled soup- he told me fiercely to give his compliments to the chef! But the feeling of doing something right is at least as warming as a bowl of soup.

[mudbug]

Very good poem.

UniChef has a good point about the rest of the year.

This is somewhat related to the topic of "Chefs Helping Others" at http://www.cheftalkcafe.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000225.html

[Pastachef]

I very much love your poem, Chef David. I just found it. It's weird how some boards come up that never came up on my screen before.