Intoxicated by the need to help others
Drunken Chef will hold a food drive on July 1 and is calling on community members to get involved.
Helderwyk Estates resident Irvin Tyler is using his passion for cooking to help the less fortunate.
Tyler, from Drunken Chef, hosted a food drive last year in which home-cooked meals were distributed to those in need.
Following the success of the drive and with interest garnered from family and friends, Tyler aims to host another drive on July 1.
The starting point will be Helderywyk Estates with volunteers meeting at noon.
“Charlton Beyers and I started Drunken Chef. The idea was to start our own restaurant and cater for events. He has since moved to Saudi Arabia where he is a chef. We started cooking together and trying new foods and recipes back in 2013,” said Tyler.
“Most of what I know I learnt from him. In honour of him and his contribution to my passion for food, I kept the name Drunken Chef and started the company with the intention of doing events and catering privately.
“Last year I wanted to do something for the community and did my first food drive. After my friends and family saw it on social media, they wanted to get involved so this year I can do more.
“So Drunken Chef moved from two guys with a love of food to a company that wants to help those less fortunate with warm meals from time to time.
“In future, we are looking to branch out as an NPO that will continuously help, but for the interim we use our own resources and are limited with how many we can do and how frequently we can do them.”
The main objective is to get more people involved so the drives can expand to other areas. The meals that are distributed are designed for parents and children, and extra is added for the children.
Drunken Chef is also looking to expand to having their own offices but for now, they use their own resources to reach as many people as they can.
They are looking for sponsors to assist with the drives. They are active in the East Rand area with children as the main priority.
They understand that circumstance can lead to unfavorable situations, so they aim to deliver decent, warm meals.
They meet at one central kitchen, where meals are cooked and packaged, ready for the drive. They call it a food drive as they drive a planned route providing food for those on the streets.
While they mainly focus on people with children, they never turn anyone away.
“We don’t ask them to come to the vehicle, but instead we run to them and serve them the meal. We currently have a planned route on the East Rand,” said Tyler.
“We are looking for sponsors to help us, as we currently do as much as we can with what we have. We do not ask for money, but instead we insist on food items to help make the meals.
“We request that anyone willing to sponsor to send food items via grocery delivery apps or such similar service providers. We really try to stay away from cash contributions and would rather have our sponsors send the food items or help with cooking the meals and distribution.
“We do understand that there are some who will not have the time to shop or give time so we can always communicate in that regard.”
The menu for the July 1 drive is planned as follows:
• Hearty chicken stew with veggies
• Rice/ pap
• Coleslaw/beetroot salad/baked bean salad
• Hot dogs
• Bottled water
• Hot chocolate
• Fruit
• A dessert (cupcake)
For any queries or to get involved, contact Tyler via WhatsApp on 076 616 9835 or email chef@drunkenchef.co.za
You can also find Drunken Chef on Facebook or Instagram (Drunkenchefza).
