January 22, 2014

Some of the world’s best chefs gathered in Manhattan today to launch Chefs Deliver for Citymeals. The initiative, spearheaded by Citymeals Board Co-President Chef Daniel Boulud, brings together top chefs to cook gourmet meals for their homebound elderly neighbors each month.

Chefs David Burke (David Burke Townhouse), Cesare Casella (Salumeria Rosi), Adin Langille (Junoon) and Citymeals Board Member Charlie Palmer (Aureole) joined Chef Boulud (DANIEL) at the first delivery. Each chef prepared 100 special meals. While the 500 meals were hand-delivered to recipients throughout Manhattan and Queens, the five chefs visited the frail aged residents of Westbeth Artists’ Housing in person. Braised lamb Provenҫal with niçoise olives, tomato and fennel confit – Chef Boulud’s seasonally-inspired creation – was just one of the dishes the chefs delivered this afternoon. Chefs were mindful of the nutritional needs of the elderly, using very little butter or salt and including fresh produce in the meals.

At Westbeth, Citymeals Executive Director Beth Shapiro expressed her gratitude for the chefs’ participation. “I am so thankful for the generosity of the chefs joining us for the kickoff of the program,” she stated. “A majority of our meal recipients are isolated, rarely seeing anyone other than their meal deliverer each day. Today, we not only provided them with an extraordinary meal, but also a comforting visit from a group of noteworthy chefs.”

Chef Boulud said, "The hope is that these soulful dishes will brighten the days of our city’s elderly, who can no longer get to experience a chef’s cooking on a regular basis. Citymeals is a charity chefs have always taken pride in supporting, and Chefs Deliver is a great testament to their generosity at heart."

"We all tend to take for granted how easy it is for us to go out for dinner or grab lunch at a great restaurant, especially living here in NYC," Chef Palmer commented. "But, there are so many people that it is simply not an option for and that’s why we’re pulling our resources together as chefs to offer such delicious and healthful meals for the homebound elderly through Citymeals-on-Wheels.”

In the coming months, culinary luminaries Scott Conant, Marc Forgione, Francois Payard, Bill Telepan and Jonathan Waxman will participate in Chefs Deliver. Chef Boulud initially announced Chefs Deliver during an interview with NBC New York’s News 4 at 7. Watch the video here: “Citymeals-on-Wheels: Celebrity Chef Gives Back to Needy New Yorkers