First responders in California got a free ticket to Flavortown this week and a unique souvenir to help them remember the trip.
Food Network icon and celebrity chef Guy Fieri brought his massive food truck to three different hospitals and handed out thousands of free lunches this week to workers on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees at Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center and Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital — all in Fieri’s home area of Sonoma County, California — were given meals made personally by the chef and his team.
At Memorial Hospital alone, Fieri handed out about 1,200 meals on May 13, according to The Press Democrat. He even signed each carryout box with a marker, along with a short message of thanks.
That same day, the “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” star wrote on Instagram that his team had given out 600 meals at Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital, along with a photo of the folks helping prepare food in his mobile kitchen.
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And in case you thought these were just lunchmeat sandwiches and a bag of chips, think again. The Press Democrat reported that one hospital worker had pulled pork, pasta with vegetables, a Caesar salad and a piece of focaccia topped with caramelized onions and parmesan cheese!
Fieri’s team of volunteers reportedly included other local restaurant owners, business owners and members of his own family.
“I don’t know how you guys walk in the door, knowing what you’re faced with,” Fieri told one doctor as he was handing him a meal, according to The Press Democrat. “You guys are just warriors.”
This grand gesture was far from the first Fieri has made during this ongoing crisis. Last month, he launched a relief fund for restaurant workers who were struggling with lost income from the widespread closure of eateries. The program was so popular that a flood of visitors crashed its website on the day it was launched.
Meanwhile, you can still catch the host’s popular shows on Food Network during the quarantine, and he’ll be facing off with Bill Murray in a challenge to make the best nachos on the channel’s Facebook page.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
