Fundraising Dinner for Southern Smoke at Miss Kim on Oct. 6
Helping support restaurant folks in need across the country
In 1902, the same year that Rocco and Katherine Disderide decided to build what we now lovingly know as “the Deli’s building,” the Russian-born, British-dwelling anarchist scientist and author Peter Kropotkin published what many consider to be the pinnacle of his life’s work: the book Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution. In it, he writes,
In the practice of mutual aid, which we can re-trace to the earliest beginnings of evolution, we thus find the positive and undoubted origin of our ethical conceptions; and we can affirm that in the ethical progress of man, mutual support—not mutual struggle— has had the leading part.
On Tuesday, October 6, we’ll be reinforcing the beliefs behind Kropotkin’s much-admired and -appreciated message. That evening, we’ll host a fundraiser at Miss Kim for the wonderful nonprofit Southern Smoke Foundation. Begun in Houston in 2015 by chef Chris Shepard, Southern Smoke works hard all over the country to help folks in the food world get critical support in times of need.
Fortunately, here in the ZCoB, our staff members have access to benefits and resources that so many in our industry sadly do not. Not long after we opened the Deli in the early ’80s, we began to offer health insurance to our crew. We’ve provided paid time off, too, for about as long. And soon after opening, we started our Employee Assistance Program to offer support on everything from mental health to legal counseling in a completely confidential manner. While we know we can always do better, we’ve consistently worked to figure out how to increase our contribution to staff support services ever since. As I wrote last month, we’ve also been running our Community Chest for nearly three decades now to help staff who find themselves in crisis. Each year, we strive to see how we might be able to improve on all these fronts and then some.
Unfortunately, the majority of food service workers around the US lack access to similar benefits. All the data I can find says that something like two-thirds of our industry peers do not have health care coverage. Which is exactly why we’re hosting this fundraiser. Not only does Southern Smoke offer a much-needed safety net to food and beverage workers; it’s run by food folks as well. Their mission statement puts it succinctly: “Southern Smoke exists to take care of our own.”
The staff at Southern Smoke explain,
As a nonprofit founded and powered by current and past F+B workers, we’ve felt the heat of our industry firsthand. Our efforts are dedicated to creating a meaningful safety net of support that doesn’t exist for most people in our world.
More than 55% of Southern Smoke grant recipients have at least one minor child at home. One-third have at least two. The majority of these recipients are single parents who receive zero child or marital support and come to us on behalf of their family to help cover basic costs. …
According to the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation, less than 15% of F+B workers had health care coverage before the pandemic. Many live shift to shift and have to make impossible choices about paying for housing, groceries, and medical care. We help cover the cost of these essentials, and more.
On October 6, Miss Kim will help raise money for this great cause with an inspiring collaboration dinner. Half a dozen chefs from around the area are coming together—each cooking a different dish and each donating their time, all to benefit those in need within our industry. The proceeds go to Southern Smoke, and everyone who attends gets to eat a remarkable meal. Here’s the incredible lineup of chefs and dishes for the evening:
- Chef Rohani Foulkes, visionary co-founder of Folk Detroit, named one of Food & Wine’s “19 Great Restaurants to Work For” in 2019 – chilled rice noodles
- Chef Bob Bennett, executive chef at Zingerman’s Roadhouse, and board member of the Independent Restaurant Coalition and the Good Meat Project – crawfish hand pies
- Chef Ederique Goudia, founder of In the Business of Food, James Beard Foundation program alumna, and co-creator of Taste the Diaspora in Detroit – duck confit gumbo
- Chef Ji Hye Kim, managing partner of Miss Kim and Little Kim, and a five-time James Beard Award Best Chef semifinalist – jokbal torchon, aka Korean-style braised pork trotters
- Chefs Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere, co-owners of Baobab Fare and James Beard Award Best Chef finalists – Burundian intore, a lovely eggplant stew with roots in Southwest Africa
- Cody Shintoski, chief butcher at Marrow Detroit Provisions – crusted lamb leg
- Chef Joe VanWagner, executive chef and partner at Echelon Kitchen + Bar, and James Beard Award Best Chef semifinalist – horchata mille-feuille for dessert
Book a seat soon to support an amazing cause and enjoy a world-class meal in the process!
