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Another
innovative
endeavor is
in front of
Mr. Tim
Gannon,
Co-Founder
of Outback
Steakhouse
and its
subsidiaries;
this time it
is about the
human
condition.
In addition
to Mr.
Gannon’s
historically
enterprising
businesses,
he has
launched a
institutional
cooking
model to
answer the
country’s
hunger
crisis. Mr.
Gannon has
found that
the
over-looked
extension to
the nation’s
food pantry
industry can
continue the
life of
fresh food,
and build a
resounding
answer to
children and
families in
need of a
nutritious
meal in the
US.
According to
Feeding
America, the
nation’s
leading food
bank, 1 in 8
American
families now
rely on food
pantries to
survive.
Mr. Gannon,
of Water
Mill, NY and
Palm Beach,
FL has
founded
“Kettle
Comfort:
Cooking For
America” a
non-profit
501c3 in
West Palm
Beach, FL
and will use
kettle
equipment
and
technology
to feed
20-30,000
people per
day. He
plans on
using the
staples red
beans and
rice, New
Orleans
inspired
jambalaya,
and
traditional
etoufee
recipes
shared by
world famous
chef’s to
reach the
homeless
children and
the hungry
in Palm
Beach
County, FL.
“I want to
end hunger
in Palm
Beach County
and around
this great
country of
ours. We
have been
feeding
thousands of
people per
day in Iraq,
the
aftermath of
Katrina, and
911 and I
want to
bring this
model to the
people who
need our
help in our
own backyard
on a
consistent,
daily basis,
this is my
legacy.”
Excitingly,
Mr. Gannon
and his wife
Christy
opened their
beautiful
home in
Water Mill,
NY on Friday
July 29,
2011 to a
private
intimate
group of 75,
and served
Kettle
Comfort ‘s
shrimp
etoufee, red
beans and
rice, that
he intends
to serve to
the
country’s
most
vulnerable
this
Thanksgiving
in West Palm
Beach; with
the goal of
replicating
additional
kettle
facilities
across the
US. “We
can feed
people
nutritious
food
that tastes
wonderful to
help restore
families,
create
interdependency
and engage
whole
communities.”
Mr. Gannon
envisions a
true social
enterprise
business
model
overlay to
his
non-profit,
where he
will
introduce a
line of
food, a
trucking
distribution
channel, a
culinary
training
model, and
an adjunct
to the
agribusiness
through
hydroponic
farming and
strong
public and
private
partnerships.
Johns
Hopkins
University,
(JHU)
representatives
were also in
attendance
Friday
evening.
Impressively,
JHU is
conducting a
ten-year
longitudinal
study of
“Kettle
Comfort:
Cooking For
America”,
for its
innovative
approach to
end hunger
and it’s
ambitious
goal of
moving the
non-profit
sector to
sustainability
and
self-sufficiency.
Stacey Guzas
Dowdle,
formerly
Vice
President of
The American
Heart
Association
has been
retained as
Kettle
Comfort’s
Executive
Director.
Culinary
giant, Chef
Paul
Prudhome is
in
discussion
with Kettle
Comfort to
introduce
their world
renowned
spices to
complement
Kettle’s
recipes.
The
following
well heeled
and staunch
supporters
of Palm
Beach and
New York ‘s
philanthropic
circles were
in
attendance
enjoying the
healthy and
tasty
cuisine that
is about to
change and
save lives:
Catherine
and Bryan
Carey, Amy
and Bob
Gianos,
Emilia and
Pepe Fanjul,
Pat and
Brian
Reynolds,
Afsy and
Carter
Pottash,
Beth de
Woody,
Charlene and
James
Nederlander,
Polly Onet,
Tim and
Susan
Malloy,
Lauren and
Bob Roberts,
Jill and
Barry
Weintraub,
Marjorie and
Ken Wilpon,
Ariane
Herrera,
Catherine
and Fred
Adler, Jeff
and Maise
Green, Lyne
Kaiser,
Maureen
Cronin, Anne
Keating,
Denise De
Luca, and
Michelle and
Bob Assately.
Magee
Hickey,
Robyn and
Ken Joseph.
Guests were
treated to
the exact
food that
will be
served at
Kettle
Comfort’s
formal
launch on
Thanksgiving
Day 2011.
A New York
kettle
facility is
projected
for 2013.
For more
information
on Kettle
Comfort,
please call
Stacey
Dowdle at
561-515-6044
or visit
www.kettlecomfort.org
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