Elite chefs cook for special clientele during Covid-19: frontline workers and the elderly

What makes France so uniquely French? Its cuisine would be at the top of any list and, with apologies to the many gifted home cooks across the land, its world-class chefs are the epitome of French cuisine.

While restaurants are closed by the pandemic, many chefs are anything but idle – with suppliers, producers, and others fueling them with donations so they can keep their aprons and toques on. Some, like Chef David Gallienne, from the Michelin-starred restaurant ‘Le Jardin des Plumes’ in Giverny, supports hospital staff in Vernon, Evreux and Mantes-la-Jolie by preparing 160 meals a day.

Chef Christophe Hay, from the two-starred ‘La maison d’à côté’ restaurant in the countryside between Blois and Chambord, goes to cook twice a week at care homes for the elderly, adapting to their residents’ special diets.

Another chef from a Michelin-starred restaurant, 'Laurent Poulet', and his team of volunteers distribute meals along the A8 motorway near Cannes for the truck drivers who continue to work. This initiative is a collaboration with Vinci Autoroutes and truckers get welcome information about where the eating is really good via radio.

Other volunteers, such as those with the venerable non-profit Secours Populaire, are also on the road to provide meals along motorways all over France. With all motorway restaurants closed, these initiatives are a lifeline – and a morale booster – for truckers who are indeed essential workers.

You don’t have to be a chef to help though. For example, the Paris Saint Germain football club distributes some 1,200 meals a day to hospital staff in Paris. The meals are prepared in the kitchens of the Parc des Princes, then distributed by 60 volunteers in food trucks that once prowled football stadiums in search of hungry fans.

And home cooks are getting a hand too, through #UNitedWeEat, an initiative launched by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to share healthy and balanced recipes during the lockdown. Pierre Sang, a finalist in the cooking show 'Top Chef,' is among those who responded to WFP’s invitation to chefs, food critics and influencers from around the world to share tips and tricks on social networks. Since its launch, the campaign has reached 31 million people.

Want to join?

Just take a photo or video of a balanced dish and encourage three friends to do the same using the #UNitedWeEat and #StayHome hashtags on social networks.