34: Walking uphill with Chef Maria Campbell and Cooks Who Care

Around the world, we gather once again on Clubhouse, embracing the diverse culinary tapestry that unites us. Welcome to another enthralling episode of "Food is Religion," where our guest today is the remarkable Chef Maria Campbell. As the founder of Cooks Who Care, she illuminates the intersection of food and mental health, sharing her inspiring story and culinary insights. Joined by our host, Michael Dugan, also the founder of Voice for Chefs, this episode delves into Chef Maria's profound journey.

**Key Highlights:**

- **Club Growth:** "Food is Religion" celebrates a thriving community, now exceeding 7300 members, a testament to its vibrant discussions on culinary arts.

- **Introduction to Chef Maria:** A pivotal figure in both "Cooks Who Care" and "Food is Religion," Chef Maria embodies the spirit of compassion and culinary excellence.

- **Passion Rooted in Heritage:** Chef Maria reminisces about her grandmother's influence, an anchor of joy and abundance through food, shaping her early relationship with culinary arts.

- **Discovering Creativity in Scarcity:** Relocating to Rochester prompted Chef Maria's creative culinary journey, navigating limited resources while passionately exploring cooking.

- **The Mentorship Influence:** Chef Thomas Reston Ella, an influential figure during Chef Maria's formative years, inspired her dedication and belief in her culinary capabilities.

- **Triumphs and Setbacks:** Sharing poignant moments from her culinary career, including setbacks in competitions and the transformative experience of acceptance and growth.

- **New Beginnings:** Encountering Scott, another passionate chef, brought unexpected opportunities, fostering a connection that blossomed into a partnership and a love story rooted in a shared passion for food.

- **Building a Culinary Legacy:** Chef Maria's journey led to collaboration in a catering business in Pennsylvania, amplifying her love for food and family.

Support Cooks Who Care donation link http://weblink.donorperfect.com/CooksWhoCare

Season2

To subscribe to Litibu Collective visit:
https://www.litibucollective.com/subscription

Transcript

Michael Dugan: 1:12

Around the world, thanks for joining us on clubhouse this morning this afternoon this evening. We are so excited to have you here. Food is religion is one of the fastest growing clubs on clubhouse and we're now over 7300 members. I know it's incredible. I remember when we're 5000 Members, we're just talking about this. Now over 7300 We have rooms every day of the week, and we talked about food and the culinary arts. And it's amazing. I am your host Michael Dugan today for the food talk show in food is religion. I'm also the founder and host of voice for chefs. It's a podcast that provides a place a purpose a platform for chefs from around the globe to share their stories. You can pick up our show on Apple Spotify, I Heart Radio, wherever you listen. I want to introduce a very special guest, Chef Maria Campbell. Now chef Maria is the founder of cooks who care and she's publishing a community cookbook to support people who struggle with mental health. We're going to hear her story today. But she's not only the founder of cooks, who cares. She's also very involved in food as religion. She's an officer and a friend. And she's also my co host for this food talk show. So please welcome chef Maria. Campbell.

Chef Maria Campbell: 2:40

This is an honor to be part of this community to build community and just do so much more. I can't wait to dive in with your questions and I just really looking forward to this conversation on the phone is religion.

Michael Dugan: 2:56

Yeah, I feel like this is going to be a journey because I have so many questions for you. I know a lot about you. You know, we've been friends for a while and I love what you're doing with cooks who care I love you know what you stand for and love every time I hear you talk and food is religion. You know it just keeps keeps on coming back. So I want to get started with just kind of your backstory a little bit. Can you tell me what it was like growing up? And how did you discover food?

Chef Maria Campbell: 3:27

Yeah, I think it's like, connect to most people, meaning that my grandmother was my inspiration to food and just the community around a table and sharing that. And then I have a part of my life that actually came from dysfunction. Where I was a child of divorce. There was a lot of moving parts. I later learned that mental illness was in my family and just didn't understand a lot that was going on as far as the inconsistency because my grandparents were that anchor. I lived with them for a few years and it wasn't until I moved out of their home when I was 11 that I realized that wow, this is nothing was there were food grace to table people came over sharing plates. My grandmother made her own bread. She would bake pies and it wasn't Thanksgiving like it was just if you want dessert or your favorite food and snacks were there. She would make sure that everything you thought of and desired was around and we didn't have a lot of money. It just felt plentiful. And just she was always cooking all the time. And I just I loved that. And it wasn't until after I was a lemon that I moved out of upstate New York Buffalo area to Rochester. And then I'm very quickly the reality of our lives in the situation, as I have a sister and sibling and just didn't realize the challenge until I moved to Rochester New York.

Michael Dugan: 5:11

When would you say that you first really got obsessed with food and started cooking yourself.

Chef Maria Campbell: 5:16

I think it was out of scarcity honestly because when I moved to Rochester, we didn't have a lot of food. I would go over to friends houses or just seeing recipes like I'm a creative I always knew that I was gonna be making something I mean, I was always drawing painting, making tinkering, listening to music, like just the creative arts always drew to me and I feel people connected with me in that way. It's like, I just knew that coming from a small town in upstate New York where there's more cows than people. When I moved to Rochester I was like this is my city and it's totally not. Not I've lived outside of New York City. I live outside of Philadelphia now. But I thought this is like big time. This is huge here. There's a you know, a population and neighborhoods. It was definitely just finding that creative outlet and to be honest with you, I would make stuff and just to find joy in sharing that always. It didn't matter what recipe I was making, but I didn't have a lot of money to play around with it, you know, so to speak. So sometimes it was people's houses or just, you know, it just eating a lot of eating too. I would say it wasn't until college when I went to try this as a profession. As I thought I'm creative. I know I can do something. Maybe I'll try out the food industry. And it wasn't that connected me to like you're good at this. Keep doing Wow.

Michael Dugan: 6:52

Okay, can you tell us who the stuff was?

Chef Maria Campbell: 6:55

Yes, Jeff Thomas Reston Ella. He had just moved to a small neighborhood called del Hyde, New York, which was in the Catskills and it was perfect for me, honestly, and it was just the right time at that period of my life was really hard because I was kicked out of my home. And so it was my sister. And this is before I I knew that there was mental illness involved, but I was really lost, trying to find my way and like, who am I as a young adult? I graduated high school young, I was 17 I barely had a license, I didn't have a car, no phone, you're talking about all the stuff that everybody had at the time. And when I had an instructor just looking at me, like you can you can do this. It was a sense of belief. To be honest, I instantly was like, wow, I could do this. All right, and and I just fell in love after that.

Michael Dugan: 7:53

Yeah, then you got hurt. I had a similar experience. I worked for the Bear Creek Country Club. And I remember this guy's name. His name was Chuck Michael. I can't remember his last name. It was like McDonald's or something like that. He just fascinated me. I looked up to him. And you know, eventually I became his apprentice in the country club, but he couldn't afford to pay me because the country club wasn't doing that well. So he said, Hey, I need you to work off the clock and I did for quite a while but you know, that really inspired me and got me hooked into the industry. So I can totally relate to what you're talking about. And I'm sure there's others in the group too that feel that as well. So Oh, that's such a great story. So what what happened from there? Where did that lead to?

Chef Maria Campbell: 8:42

I got heavily involved because I was paying for college myself. It was a tech school. I actually was working a little too much because I was trying to pay for everything that I wanted a car you know, it's like cars or freedom. That's what I wanted. But being in a small area, it didn't really matter that much because you always found somebody that did have a vehicle and you can go places. But I would say that it just was like, Oh, here's the ACF, there's a competition that you could do. Here's a cooking club here's, you know, opportunities after school and I literally dove in headfirst to everything I said yes to everything. Oh, you want to heal this box of potatoes. Yes. And I want to turn them into tornadoes and I want to learn how to cut them you know, like give me a box of potatoes to play with great.

Michael Dugan: 9:37

How did you feel about the onions?

Chef Maria Campbell: 9:39

The onions were a bear but I just wanted to get my chopping skills up and they made it so easy to get involved and the cost was really low in order to go to the school again. I was I was paying for it and then still paying for it but really experienced there I literally fell in love with the industry as I signed up for what I didn't know I was getting into.

Michael Dugan: 10:04

We really you know and this is really special. Maria This is really getting to know you on on a new level. We've been host and CO hosts together for a while and I just think it's amazing your story and and it needs to be told and needs to be shared here in clubhouse and on our voice for chefs podcast as well. My most recent episode is with Chef Abbey and Chef Abby really struggled with mental health but she's also an amazing advocate for mental health. So I encourage you to check out the latest episode and any other episodes but these stories they matter. You know there's there's so important right now in what's going on in the world today. So definitely listen to those but, but I'm really excited that you're here and listening to Chef Maria as well. So to move on from there through you're cutting potatoes you're doing I think it's tornadoes, right. Did you ever do the flute and mushrooms? Um, yeah,

Chef Maria Campbell: 10:55

and I signed up for every skills competition I could get and luckily I had. It was my first experience with international students that were traveling to train from other countries. I had roommates who was from Vietnam and another woman who was in my dorm room. That was from Japan. And that to me just opened up my perspective so wide was like oh my gosh, this is even better than I anticipated. You don't just learn how to cook and do knife skills, but you can learn about culture and potentially travel. I had signed up for a cooking kind of competition, where there's a team member five and you could compete across the state and across the United States I V and kind of go were my college friends who I ended up doing this competition with and a few others. I realized that my knife skills are off. They've been holding a knife since they were three years old and I'm just getting started. They were a great inspiration to me too, because it was a level that I just thought, gosh, there was so much to do. I ended up being coming the captain of that culinary team and it was a great way to travel. And during that experience I spent my summers I sacrificed all my time I was not doing what normal college students do a party. You know, I was having fun but I try I sign up for every opportunity because I just felt this is my opportunity. If I If I miss this, then I'm not optimizing.

Michael Dugan: 12:32

So here you are in the kitchen here we are jumping in for all these different opportunities and to work double shifts in cooking school because they worked at night. And then it came in and learn during the day and deceleration that happens when you do that the knowledge you know, it comes very quickly. I think like what you're describing, jumping in you must have been learning so much so quickly and in probably two are definitely I would see you gain respect from people around you. Because you're so committed and you're so dedicated. So along the way did you have any other mentors that that, you know, kind of took me aside and said Hey Maria, you know, I want to I want you to be my apprentice, sir When I kind of show you the ropes.

Chef Maria Campbell: 13:14

I feel so grateful for you know, connecting with people. And yeah, doing it so easily, as you mentioned, and I take it for granted sometimes when I see a way for community to come together like I'm definitely not the person in the background. I'm like, oh how can I help how can I step up to support this and it success because it makes me feel good. i That's why I love this club. You know, I feel in community. And I think it took me decades to realize that that that's what makes me happy. That's what brings me joy. I had a chef instructor and believe me, there's not a lot of people on dial high. So the community is small. I was so involved that you know I babysat who my chefs kids when they were young. Like there was such he kept offering opportunities to all the students there and I just said yes okay, let me do it. And I feel that there was a moment where, you know, as I mentioned, I was lost. I was really lost during this time period in college, but I found myself I really had a sense of discovery where like not all things in in life are terrible. Good things can come out of bad things and you can find people who care about you and they don't have to be your family. And I was going to be winning an award for my involvement through the American Culinary Federation to be an outstanding member. And my community involvement very early on. I was in my 20s then, and my chef instructor kept saying Do you want to invite your dad like, do you want him to come into this event? And I was like, Oh, he's working a lot when she was a factory worker. He worked night shifts often work a lot of like shift work that people might imagine. And he was working I think at the time it was a glass factory. Or I believe that's what it was was glass or plastic factory. And he wasn't like he was a company, electrician but for big industrial work. So I was like, Ah, I don't know how to calm you know, I kind of was just totally playing it off. And he kept encouraging me kept encouraging me and I kept saying Nah, no, I think he's busy. I kind of mentioned it, but I didn't even ask it wasn't like Hey Dad, can you try and do this thing. I was totally understating it. Right. And I remember that it was we had to drive to Binghamton. It was like over a half an hour to come to this place. And I they had a whole dinner and we made some food and then at the end, they give you an award. Okay? So it's my turn. He was like, You need to think of something you want to say when you get this award. And I was like, What do you say like when when you get this? I don't know what to say. And so I get up there and I get up to the podium and all of a sudden I'd say like oh, really thankful and I look up. And like at the edge of the room. I see my dad walk in. And I was like, Oh, my dad's here. And so I was just joyous and happy and I didn't ask him to be there. And at the end, I asked my instructor like, Oh my God, my dad was here. How did that happen? MUSIC Well, I sent him a message and I wanted to be sure I really think that this is important. And he knew my situation. My mom and it was really challenging. I wasn't living there and you know, I never lived with my dad. That was also very hard thing. But he was always very involved. He became that person for me instantly because it's not just about the food. It's about your relationships and the healing and like support that we can feel from one another. And I'm forever grateful for that moment, especially now because my dad is no no longer living.

Michael Dugan: 16:48

Sorry about your dad.

Chef Maria Campbell: 16:50

Yeah. It's always challenging. And now it's like I have this beautiful memory and like what would happen if I didn't do that? And I just remember, people were surprised you

Michael Dugan: 17:00

Were going along in your culinary career. Did you ever hit like a fork in the road to to ever hit rock bottom and just go you know, this is just bullshit. Or did you just kind of move on?

Chef Maria Campbell: 17:12

I would say twice. First is this ACF? You know competition. I was competing on a junior culinary Olympic team for the American Culinary Federation and I was at my four year program I sacrificed summers to train because the opportunity was you get to travel abroad for free if you want. Right so that has been my by the way, still lifelong mission, everyone. But I want to travel I want to experience the world and see it through the eyes of food and culture are just amazing people. And I was at the end there were three teams chosen and it's not like first second, third place. It was who was the best of these three teams and we're talking Olympic kind of scoring because it was like a point away from the other teams and they were having a hard time choosing a lot. I found out that it wasn't wasn't my team. It was a team from Pennsylvania that one they were going to change and train at Westchester Country Club in upstate upstate New York right outside of New York City and a very wealthy area. And I sobbed in the bathroom to me like I was like this chapter is closing now what though no place to live. No place to work, no job lined up. I spent all my energy just for this moment. And when it didn't happen, I was like, my life is over. What do I do? You know, and I knew I was thinking was in my 20s My life is not over but in 20 Something I kind of knew. Yes, it was right. It's over. It's over. And I you know, healed from that moment. And it was really about three months later, I get a phone call the same chef Tom chef, Chef Tom rest and Ella got a phone call saying that the coach remembered me and a teammate of mine IV and I should come to interview. And so I was like, door opens and I was just about to be done in a month with my school program. And I ended up interviewing there and it ended up being the greatest experience I could have because I did sign up for a two year apprenticeship program, because that moment happened. So yes, I was definitely down on my luck and then you know that effort and energy was recognized and validated by inviting me to come there and work

Michael Dugan: 19:34

Now I am betting that everyone here today. Many people who know you don't know the story. This is really amazing. I mean, I I had no idea that you had gone through all this. So how did you pick yourself back up and springboard?

Chef Maria Campbell: 19:50

Yeah, it was very challenging because and I'll tell ya that I knew that the Pennsylvania cooking team was going to be training there. They were also part of this apprenticeship program. And I remember having our first stand up meeting which is like the meeting you have went right before you like get to work and we were meeting all of the people who signed up for this two year commitment. So there was people from Texas people from, you know, across the state people from upstate New York and Pennsylvania that were training with this program. And there was a guy standing next to me that I knew was the captain of his team and he knows why was because I was the captain of my team. And so we had had this competitive energy, you know with each other and either here's this guy. Oh my god, if he's a jerk, I'm gonna be so mad. You know, like, he got this opportunity and like jealousies rising like he got the opportunity I didn't get to get so I said, I said hello. And I was like, hey, you know 20 Something holes like he actually was like, Hi, how are you? And I was like, Ah, don't get mad at that. He's actually being nice. And it started a whole new perspective for me that I was like, I didn't mean to when to have that opportunity. And we were not looking for each other either. I wasn't dating him at that time, but ended up being later on and we found that we had a lot in common. Wow. And I wouldn't have discovered that if it didn't happen at the country club.

Michael Dugan: 21:19

Yeah. And he tell us more about who he is I already know.

Chef Maria Campbell: 21:27

Scott is is that guy that was in the stand up and in the kitchen, and we didn't end up dating until near the end of the apprenticeship program. And, and when it was done, I was like, hey, like, I really enjoyed your company. He's a chef by trade too. And, you know, I think if we think this could work like I'm willing to move and he he was ready for it too. And I ended up moving here to Pennsylvania where we started a catering business together. He's worked in country clubs and restaurants. His family had a family restaurant so like I got we I fell in love with the food family like they love food. We do not do anything around the center of foods as I am home. I feel home.

Michael Dugan: 22:15

Oh my gosh, that's really an amazing story. Can you tell us a little bit more about some of the places that you've worked along

Chef Maria Campbell: 22:22

your journey? Yes, I've really worked in a lot in like hotels and country clubs, because I've struggled like working in restaurants. It's unfortunate being a woman that you start and not talking 15 years ago at my start, you know, it's like yes, you work your way up. I have no problem with that. And I have a problem and there's a ceiling that you can't connect to the next stage. And I felt that I had worked in several restaurants and I still was on pantry or like garbage day and I couldn't figure out how I could excel in other areas but I wasn't excelling in restaurants that I would find myself in and I worked at a couple of hotels hotel rent that had restaurants. And then when I heard that, you know you should actually try working in hotels that have banquet facilities and events. And I worked on Cooperstown, New York for a little while I worked at some area hotels and work down here. In Pennsylvania doing catering and have my own business once I found the events phase I was like I love this events party. Community. I'm I'm in love. So that's when I really found like menus change all the time. People have custom design experiences and that's when I fell in love with with that part. of it. And my husband was really connected with the restaurant community. And I just always had my challenges like getting connected with him, but I always loved it. I've always loved this business in this industry as a whole no matter the challenges that I've run across.

Michael Dugan: 23:54

Let's spend some time now kind of pivoting and tell us about how cooks who care came about how you made this sort of pivot and change and what was it that really made that happen for you.

Chef Maria Campbell: 24:09

I became an educator at a culinary school called the Art Institute, which was based here in Philadelphia. And I was a instructor full time there and I taught in other areas schools Community College Teaching culinary classes, lectures, Baking and Pastry like your basic courses. I'm not a pastry chef by any means, but I can make I can bake and and it was a time period when I felt I was building a large professional community of individuals but they were sharing stories behind the scenes much like what you're doing with these platforms, but they weren't putting it on a platform. They were just telling me like oh, the Food Network is really putting a terrible display of like what the industry is really like and these youngins and people who are coming in are just not understanding what it is that it takes to be in this business. And I was like, why are we telling that story? Like what's behind that is at that time, I was just doing like a panel discussions and just trying to capture the flavor of what everybody's trying to put out there and just creating spaces for them to share this information to invest in video equipment. And my husband had a special interest as well as a sous chef for his another community chef. So it was Igor Strugatsky and we also had Scott sunsky. We're like, you know what, let's film people and ask them to get humble and share these stories that they want to share. And it happened to be a YouTube channel that really right now only has 250 people on it. But really it was for us to do a discovery of information. And I we interviewed 100 People wasn't really to grow a following but just to see if people would capture tell me what it is that they're not sharing with everyone else. And at the at the base of it. You want to know what people the commonality was. So it was 100. The commonality was that they felt alone and that they felt you know that mental health was like at the root of it. And it took me a little while to connect to those dots because they didn't. The loneliness was the number one thing. Health was that second piece, and it shouldn't be a couple of years to get down to the mental health is the way that we can help and support.

Michael Dugan: 27:23

So what would you say? What was it like when when you kind of started secure? How did it become a nonprofit that become a nonprofit right away? Or was it kind of took some stages? Oh, I

Chef Maria Campbell: 27:37

had to pivot 18 million times and I used to I used to say to people all the time, when I found this quote, I loved it like you got to have plan a plan B plan C. But then I found this quote that said there are 26 letters in the alphabet because sometimes you're gonna need ABCDEFG and all the way to the end. We've pivoted so many times and people were kind of like Maria, what do you want to do with this? Like, how are you going to, you know, pitch this the only thing that they knew about me it was that I didn't stop moving I kept walking, I kept testing every single thing that cooks appear has done up to this point. It wasn't just an idea on paper. I went out in the community and then did it. I've done I did it was called leaders for tomorrow and it was like groups of people that were learning information and they were paid for classes that didn't hit off the ground, but i beta tested it. Yeah, you know, it was like I had panel discussions that incorporated every cross culture that you can think of it got me a lot of connections, but it never became a member based community. I had to pivot so many times and I'm thankful because we were on the membership route of going we're a community. We're gonna get this dazed into charging memberships to COVID hit. And I was going to start doing live group meetups because networking was really what everybody wanted to do here in Philadelphia. So now we can't meet at all.

Michael Dugan: 29:03

So you have a token again,

Chef Maria Campbell: 29:05

and again, and I think if anything gets, you know, active and happy, it's like people believe me, I'm rich. She just doesn't quit. You know, and I'm thankful for that reputation.

Michael Dugan: 29:16

That's amazing. What is it inside you? That keeps you going with cooks who care I love the title I love the mission. I love the meaning but for you like what keeps you going what it what is is there any kind of trigger but is there a kind of really purposeful why there that you can share with us

Chef Maria Campbell: 29:38

I needed twofold. One is that, you know processing my upbringing as an adult and the people in my life who don't want to get the care that they need. It's frustrating, right? I had, you know, individuals and I have I shouldn't say if I have individuals in my life that don't take the next step to get the care they need so that we can have amazing relationships in I've had to grieve that process. And what I think and I've told my husband is I think what manifested this is the fact that I'd rather give help to people that want it right. And so if there is a person that wants to get counseling support, or can't, you know, because it can't afford it, or like maybe they became addicted for whatever reason, and they need to take the next step. I'd rather help people that are at that point in their lives and they want to do something about it, rather than people who don't, you know, and don't see the value in it. And the second piece is 100% faith, I could not do what I'm doing from my personal perspective wasn't for prayer if it wasn't for me, literally praying every day. I was at a point where Kotsu care was gonna close. We were allowed to by the state of Pennsylvania to collect donations. And it was through contributions because I had set up an LLC, but here I had to apply to accept money. We had a medical marijuana that a dispensary that wanted to support us. And at that time, I was serving food during COVID to people to bridge communities for staff meal. But luckily with their donation, which by the way was pretty significant. It was$25,000 that was split between two years. Thanks, thankfully, I had to pay taxes on that money that I gave away. So because I'm an LLC, but we have this special license that I was allowed to accept contributions and honestly, that's what coops does. I accept money and I put it back into the community. Okay, my, my application was going to expire. And I got really frustrated. I was like, oh my god, like I've been doing this work for over five years at this point, just kept walking. And I was like, if it's going to end, it's going to end and as I got if you don't want this to happen, I'll stop. You don't mean don't force in something that shouldn't be. You know, I think we've all been in that place before. Right? It's like, I question it. i At that point, I questioned it for five years. I didn't question it because I was trying to figure it out. Right. I have an incredibly supportive husband who never stops a single idea I have she will question it and be the devil's advocate but you will never be like knowing can't do it. Never do that tonight. But it's through this consistent and I will tell you that once I put myself out there I had to tell people hey, I don't know if this work. I said privately I didn't put up on message hey, everybody cares going to work. I put a nice out there to people to say Do you know somebody? And I asked an expert that could help me figure out how do I take the money in acoustic can't make just give it back to the community. I don't understand why it's so complicated. And at that time, we were getting rejected for a nonprofit status that I was applying for. So if the IRS was against me, who I call them, the internally really stupid organization was telling me that I Oh, by the way, your application is gonna get rejected after I spent $600 And I invested in a financial accountant to help me proceed. I said why? They said we don't have to tell you that man. We're just gonna let you know that it will be rejected and you can amend it. And so I was like, this is fantastic. I've never not mad at anybody in my life. But I got mad at this person because I spent so much time, money and energy and I was like, so you don't have to even tell me why you're rejecting the application. So this I had a huge sense of urgency. My application was going to expire in April, my I thought that I'm going to have to tell anybody who gave money to secure that I was going to have to return it and they would get IRS saying that we were rejected. Okay. So January, I started meeting with three individuals. It happened to me female who could help me solve my problems. I found an organization called TCFHelps.org and they're called the Communities Foundation in a county that I am in and I told them my story. I said, this is a situation I want to move forward, but I don't know how to set this up. And though it's, you know, my contacts, I reached out to like, you know, you can start a community fund, you know, and put the money in and you can just pay forward. It's just like a community bank account. And I was like, Alright, how do I do that? That's great. So when I met with TCF I told them my story, they were like, Oh, my God, this is insane. You know that that happened to you. And I said, maybe I just don't understand the nonprofit space like, I know I will cease. I do coaching. I do consultant for small businesses, and I do training seminars, and I was like, I guess I just don't get the nonprofit space. It's just start my beast, you know. So I ended up through a three month coding process taking us on. I had only$2,000 And the reason why they took us on was because they said you're already doing the impact. I had the least amount of the money that anybody was at that table. And they said yes to us, because then I can operate as a nonprofit. I'm allowed to accept donations, because I'm on their writer. So we are a program of their mission which is to help volunteer led projects succeed. So if it wasn't for their help and prayer, I would not be here at all.

Michael Dugan: 35:28

But you are here, and can you share your mission with everyone? Just a summary of what's the mission of Cooks Who Care is?

Chef Maria Campbell: 35:42

Our mission is to support specifically food and beverage professionals on any side of the industry, and to provide mini grants to support them with mental health services because the kicker is all right. We have the highest rates of drug abuse. We have the highest rate, mental health issues. It's one in five in the country. It's one in four for people in food and beverage industry. We also have the lowest rate of establishments that actually offer health care. And then the kicker is that even if you do have health care, they do not have to accept your claim that if you need an addiction recovery services, it's not covered. If I need to go see a health care professional, it depends on my zip code, what accessibility I have. So it could be a cost factor or I don't even get the care I need because my health insurance doesn't cover it. So I can't tackle health care. What I can do is support them financially to go you know what you want, you want to get healthy and easily cope and healthy ways. Get off the drugs, go to the program that you need and we'll cover a $300 You know, stipend for you to get that started. Or you haven't seen a counselor yet before. Come on, try it out. Don't don't have cost be the reason why you're not doing it.

Michael Dugan: 37:00

So this is why I want to take a pause right now and say what the work that you do is amazing. You are a hero of hospitality in my opinion. And I remember having a conversation with Mimi, when she went to meet you and how she came back and she was on fire about you. And I was like I want to meet her. I want to interview her. I've wanted to interview for a long time. But I just was trying to figure out the timing of it and I thought this would be a really good time for this. So if you're listening right now, there'll be a link where you can go and you can contribute to cook security, you can donate, click on that link. Take a look at cooks who care and donate and remember too that a lot of companies match donations. So if you're donating$50 You're really donating 100 If your company doesn't match, and it's the end of the year, so if you haven't donated to a nonprofit, now's the time to do it.

Chef Maria Campbell: 37:59

It's amazing. We've had so much support. I've been so grateful this has been you know a huge term for us and especially is like seasonal depression is coming inside choice time for everybody right before the holidays and I get that, you know, I come from a dysfunctional family. And so I'm very cognizant of it and as the time changes and the sun differs like you know, seasonal depression is here upon us and you know, we've had such amazing support. I've had companies that if they donate up to $500, they can get an active link in our cookbook, and that's how we're That's the next thing we're going to talk about. So I can't funding all of this. wait now I've been waiting for this. So tell us how the cookbook evolve. Tell us take us on this journey. I really want to hear like how did you get the idea? How did people come together? Share that story? No, it's amazing. And I was terrified to ask our community because I was delivering food to neighborhoods by investing in the 100 meals at a time hundreds of men are number forever 100% committed 100 meals and communities. You know, we've just 100 interviews and I realized that I needed a mechanism that could help raise the funds in a way that showcases our craft as as masters and creators of our own industry. And so I reached out very terrified. I do get scared okay. I put up a front sometimes. And just because I'm doing it doesn't mean I'm not scared. So I put an answer out there to our community. And we had a strong social media following because again, I've been doing this for over five, six years. It'd be six years now but at the time when I started it at the beginning of the year I said I do not want to burden you. Everybody's been through enough during COVID and I'm gonna put this ask out there you tell me if it's too much. Let's start a community cookbook. What do you think? I can show off your craft I can film me doing it. We can get as many people as we can involve. I had a film partner Eric Lovett, Jr. We already had lined up. We had done some beta testing with it. And I was like, Yeah, we could do this. We could make a cookbook by filming all of these people and put it together in a wrap to be the sale generates proceeds for this fun. And so when I put the ask out there I was like, that's when I was scared. I was like, because you know, hey, I could get rejected maybe people were like Maria, God wanted to put me off so I already have enough stuff to do. I can't do this to the opposite reaction. Right? I just was expecting people just having the knee jerk like hi can barely stay afloat. You know, and it was right it COVID Like it was like what 2021 So we already went through this hell, and then it was like, am I adding one another thing is starting in January, and it was the opposite. People were like how can I help? How can I sign up? I'll do it. And so the commitment was that you had to make two portions. You had to film on a specific day that we had set up we had four filming days. I had setup partners where it was like QVC you I scheduled the chef's mixologist and wellness experts. And boom you do one you get 30 minutes next next the whole thing evolved. But people said yes and 28 people raise their hand to be a part of this project. Icluding Chef Mimi. Yes. Her story and another chef who drove out from from Ohio tells me the impact. So our community knew that the dollars were going to come back here into Philadelphia and I thought we're doing this beta and proof of concept so that we can do this nationwide. So I'm hustling trying to get this off the ground, pulling all the pieces right collaborators, the fundraising callers the expertise. We're doing all this okay. And as as we did this when chef Mimi I told her by the way, it's coming back here to Philadelphia, the dollars are coming back here to Philadelphia