3 Sep 2021

Good food from the goodness of his heart

From Nine To Noon, 9:20 am on 3 September 2021

Manawatū chef Grant Kitchen is serving free, restaurant-quality meals to frontline workers and local people in need  - all out of his own pocket. 

And these are no ordinary meals - they might include Grant's signature smoked pork belly with apple jus or a slice of apricot custard cake with Creme Anglaise.

Chef Grant Kitchen from the Apiti Tavern

Chef Grant Kitchen from the Apiti Tavern Photo: Grant Kitchen / Facebook

So far, supporters have gifted Grant more than $4,000 for his meal-making efforts.

“[Those in need] were thoroughly appreciative of that because a lot of them are living alone and during Covid obviously the community support from the outreach programmes isn’t there so we managed to use a couple of the community outreach distributors and they got it to them nice and hot.”

Last Saturday was the first meal run, Grant says, with meals went to local people providing essential services in Level 4 - St Johns Ambulance staff and workers at Covid-19 testing stations and vaccination centres.

The Apiti Tavern staff hope to start supplying hospital workers soon, he says.

“Now that we’ve seen what has happened during this Covid time and pandemic … we noticed the medical facilities and hospitals are just absolutely stretched.”

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A free meal made by Grant Kitchen Photo: Grant Kitchen

The free restaurant-quality meals already have quite a following, Grant says.

“One of the ladies at the vaccine facility posted [on Facebook] that the only thing she left in the container was the tomato stem from our smoked tomatoes and beef brisket.

“We’re putting out restaurant-quality foods … because they deserve it, they deserve to be looked after because they’re working such long hours as we do in hospitality.”

Apiti Tavern owner Jon James, who started his business in November last year, says there’s been a lot of community support and donations for the initiative.

“We’ve done about 300 meals out to essential workers and the community. More offers of support are coming through so we’re just going to keep going.

“Everything and everyone who is wanting to contribute has, and the whole community has come in right behind it, right from fielding in Palmerston North and a few of the locals [in Manawatū] as well.”

Watch Grant and his team delivering meals below: