Post Punk Kitchen Forum

https://occupywallst.org/

Folks have been out in Zuccotti Park since Saturday, mostly subsisting on donated pizza (the place is making 25% of the donations cheeseless) and cheap falafel, but they've just gotten access to a 2500 square foot industrial kitchen and want to start cooking really really soon. I've been asked to recruit 3-4 "vegan chefs" i.e.: people who know their way around the kitchen and that there's more to making vegan food than leaving off the cheese.

They want everyone to meet up for grocery shopping (paid for by donations) around NOON TODAY. The owner can provide transportation to the kitchen. There will be other opportunities to help, but we need to get this shift started ASAP.

Please comment or PM me if you can help. I can't make this shift, but will be downtown later and am liaising with the Food Committee. Thanks!

Kick asparagus, as always, SSD.

Thanks, panda. I told them that if they absolutely can't get anyone, I'll run out of the office for a couple of hours to do some cooking as long as I don't have to spend time shopping. Hope it won't come to that, though.

SSD, the 4sfc has offered the movement dry goods at cost (we've donated some fresh food already, and our 50% produce bin is already available). If you can pass the word or put me in touch with the chefs, I can make the connections. Up until now, I hadn't realized anyone would be cooking. I have only spoken with Chris so far.

Awesome, thanks Jill!

Chris is definitely the guy to talk to about that, but he's being pulled in about a million directions at once (usually metaphorically), so I'll remind him. I don't think the actual cooking has started yet. Just as we were about to sit down and discuss it, the Troy Davis march joined us and it all got really busy really fast.

Is there anyone specific I should tell him to contact?

This kitchen fell through. I'll post again when we get a new one and are working on some kind of food prep schedule.

thanks for the update!

I would love to help. I'm proficient in any number of cuisines. Please contact me.

Any updates on this? i'd love to help.

At present, we're still kitchenless, but if I get any news, I'll for sure post here. Thanks!

SSD, can we help in any other ways? How about for those of us within the area who can cook and bring it to the location? Have you gotten in contact with Food Not Bombs about such a thing?

The people who coordinate the food for OWS are from FNB. FNB recently moved to a new space (since ABC No Rio is scheduled for bulldozing any day now) and I don't think they're ready to ask for another favor yet. FNB cooks out of the Catholic Worker now and I think they use their kitchen pretty regularly.

But YES! Bringing food prepared at home is always always welcome! Thank you!

omfg, nooooo! i've been meaning to check them out for ages, and i feel awful that i'm never going to be able to :(

I hope I can help at some point through the duration of this, and fully support you all.

but wait, isn't ABC No Rio just re-doing the building? I mean, I know it has to be gutted and everything but I thought they even were close to having all the funding they need for a major overhaul?

Yes, it will be back, but that will take years. Right now, as far as I know, there's no expected date to reopen yet. But the demolition date keeps getting changed too.

Ahhh! Thanks for posting this. I've been attending the protests and bringing clothing donations down, but I live in Brooklyn so I haven't been camping out. I made some amazing vegan butternut squash soup last week and my first thought was that I needed to bring some down to OWS residents ASAP. Do you think something like that is worth it, or because it would be not a large amount, and would need to be reheated (maybe - I literally live just over the BRK Bridge) - that baked goods would be preferable? I just feel like everyone makes vegans baked goods, so that might be a little redundant. Whatcha think?

I think anything would be helpful! Cold soup is better than no soup at all.

We have an offsite kitchen now, but I don't know where it is or when the cooking happens. I emailed them last week to find out how people who want to cook sign up and what to do with produce donations someone has offered but I haven't heard back yet. BLARGH.

Blargh indeed! Will you let me know if you hear? I'm not the best cook ever, but I want to help as much as I can since I can't be down there all the time.

You're right... cold soup is better than no soup (and honestly, it was awesome cold on bread). Thanks SSD!

I definitely will, thanks! (and if there's one thing OWS always has tons of, it's bread!)

baahaha of course. oh, bread!

and of course... no problem. i feel badly that i can't do more.

I just heard tonight that there will be some cooking at 10:00 am friday at St. Marks Church. I'm planning to go with some other 4sfc members.

On another note, the co-op has now set up a dedicated donation stream within the store, from which we will purchase goods at a 20% discount. Just cash now, maybe online later too.

Fantastic!

Update: I believe we have too many for Friday morning already. Will update if I hear about anything else.

OK! I have real, actual information now. It only took two months!

Cooking happens in an offsite kitchen in East New York (Brooklyn) Monday-Thursday, 2-5 PM (and other places too, but this is where we REALLY need volunteers at the moment). They need people who know their way around the kitchen and will take the initiative to start working without repeatedly being told what to do. They also need people willing to make serious commitments. They've been spending half their (very limited) time training different people every day, and that sucks. No one needs to go every day, but if you can commit to one day per week, please be serious about it. Be the best damn Tuesday (or whatever) person you can be. The few chefs they have right now are stretched really thin, so they may not be super patient, but if they ever get the chance to breathe, they'll love you forever.

If you'd like to get involved, please PM me your availability and I'll send the address (not because the location is a secret, but so I can have a basic headcount and not send 27 people the same day).