Mit Tocaya Antojería in Logan Square provides healthy meals to those in need through 'Todos Ponen' project
CHICAGO (CBS) -- This week one superstar chef kicked off a new community initiative geared to help bring healthy, delicious meals to those in need.
The stream's Jamaica Ponder has more from the cookout.
"Dinner service at Mi Tocaya means food, and lots of it," said Diana Dávila, executive chef and owner.
Chef Davial is the superstar culinary mind behind the critically acclaimed Logan Square eatery. She is also the woman bringing that food out from behind a reservation.
"So, we started the Todos Ponen Project really out of necessity— necessity at first."
Todos Ponen - meaning everyone pitches in - is a project founded by Chef Dávila back in the heat of the pandemic.
"We just saw there was really a huge need for help all around with small businesses, with industry workers, hospitality workers, and then especially undocumented workers," Dávila said.
Partnering with community organization Palenque lsna, the team at Mi Tocaya began churning out thousands of meals.
"It was like in one hour there'd be 500 meals done. It was great."
Now, Chef Dávila is revamping the project, looping in more community organizations.
"Asking Palenque, asking Chicago Cares. What were some of the problems that they saw that they were facing?"
They put it simply…
"What we're needing is that there is a huge food disparity right now, not only do our communities need it, our outstanding communities, but also we have so many migrant workers who are coming," she said.
And there's a busy soup kitchen that could use some help.
"So, we hear soup kitchen and we're like, oh, wow…"
It got chef thinking - why not bring the best of Chicago culinary to where it's needed most?
"The idea is for it to be once a week for six months to have a different chef once a week creating these meals, for the kitchen, soup kitchen," Dávila said.
And to kick the whole thing off…
"We thought what better than to do a cookout with our chef friends, from around our neighborhoods that really represent a lot of our cuisine."
Because Chef Dávila knows, the best way to help your community is to first host your community. It wasn't too difficult to get some neighboring chefs on board.
"When she called to ask for me to participate and help her raise money for this, the answer is an immediate yes. Immediate yes," said Jason Hammel, executive chef and owner of Lula Café.
"When Chef Diana called to participate, I was like, let's do it. I'm, I'm in for it," said Yari Vargas, executive chef and owner, Casa Yari Inc.
The sold-out event was laden with bites and drinks from restaurants in the neighborhood.
"Donating their time, their deliciousness in all to kind of really just to kick off our fundraising now," Dávila said.
With over 50 percent of the proceeds going to fund the chef series at New Hope Soup Kitchen.
"We were raising not only awareness to sharing these stories of undocumented people, but, I mean, we're a restaurant, we love food, we love people. So, it just felt like a very natural thing for us to do."
If you couldn't make it out to eat and drink and donate, no worries. The Todos Ponen project will be running their chefs' series soup kitchen for at least the next six months, and they're going to be looking for donations for that entire time.
You can learn more information about how to donate and get involved at the Mi Tocaya website.
