A Leeds chef has teamed up with an Armley-based charity to launch a gourmet soup kitchen which will provide a freshly cooked three-course meal to anyone in need every Monday.
Dale Spink, who owns D’s Meal Prep and Brontae’s restaurant in Horsforth, has teamed up with Vulnerable Citizen Support and service provider, Servo Group, to deliver Hope Kitchen to anyone who needs a hot meal in LS12 and LS13.
Every Monday from tonight, Hope Kitchen will provide and deliver free hot meals – and its first menu includes options such as butternut squash soup, roast chicken and chilli con carne – all free to anyone who needs a hot meal.
Dale hopes that the kitchen will help struggling families and the homeless and anyone who needs a tasty, nutritious meal at the moment.
The team have received generous donations of food from local businesses and hope to be able to provide and deliver around 300 meals each week.
Haydn Jessop, Director of Vulnerable Citizen Support, said:
“This initiative is about delivering nutritious, high-quality food to those who need it most and improving well-being. No-one should be hungry at the moment and everyone should have access to healthy, decent meals which we plan on providing through Hope Kitchen once a week.”
Haydn set up a soup kitchen in Leeds city centre six years ago, prior to establishing Vulnerable Citizen Support, which used to feed around 200 people each week.
Hope Kitchen’s menu will change each week depending on the ingredients available, and the food will all be cooked by Dale at his unit where he runs his own food delivery service, D’s Meal Prep. D’s Meal Prep provides, healthy, nutritionally balanced, prepared meals cooked from scratch.
Dale said:
“We’re really excited to be working with Vulnerable Citizen Support on this initiative and incredibly grateful to all the businesses that have donated to Hope Kitchen so far. No human should go hungry and I realise, especially at the moment, that many people could be just two or three bad decisions away from being homeless, so it’s amazing to be able to help.”
The meals will be prepared by Dale and his team, with help from VCS volunteers, including formerly homeless Josh Ellis who has recently turned his life around and has been gaining work experience with Dale.
VCS has just reached the end of its first year helping anyone struggling, vulnerable or homeless in Leeds, and in that time the organisation has provided over 117,000 meals through its food parcel provision.
Dale and Haydn are also launching a series of podcasts called RAW Talk, which will feature different guests each week and focus on positive choices, rehabilitation and hope.
Hope Kitchen’s meals can be collected or delivered between 5.30pm and 7.30pm every Monday and anyone who needs one can contact Vulnerable Citizen Support here.
Well done, both of you!