Cooks Who Care has made a name for itself by supporting the mental health and well-being of food and beverage industry workers by utilizing unique and often, tasty, events.
And for the sunny season, the local nonprofit is unveiling a full lineup of summer pop-ups to be held in partnership with notable chefs, businesses, and organizations across the city, including a weekly residency at the Pyramid Club.
The Club events officially start this Wednesday, July 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. with live cooking and mixology demonstrations, food and beverage samples, and more, followed by additional pop-ups at different locales such as Rex at The Royal, Porco’s Porchetteria, Small Oven Pastry Shop and more.
What this series also benefits is the organization’s publication, the ‘Cooks Who Care Community Cookbook: Entertaining for Mental Health (Philly Edition)’ aka the recently launched book of recipes and home entertaining tips for cooks of all skill levels and learning styles. Released digitally last December, the print version came out more recently in May of this year.
All proceeds from book sales benefit the Cooks Who Care Community Fund, which provides mini grants to food and beverage service workers in the Greater Philadelphia Region who are in need of mental health support, a release states. The print edition is currently available for purchase online and will also be for sale at all Cooks Who Care summer pop-up events as well.
“With the Cooks Who Care residency, we really want to provide new and wonderful culinary experiences that people might not be able to enjoy elsewise,” said John Barchard, Co-Chair of Content Club at Pyramid Club in a statement.
Barchard continued: “We want guests to feel and taste Philadelphia as much as possible while stoking conversations about the restaurant industry improving mental health for all involved. Cooks Who Care represents a positive change in a landscape that is still recovering from the pandemic, and that deserves attention.”
Cooks who Care and Barchard are also setting out to launch a podcast that will “provide intimate conversations with chefs and mixologists from across the Philadelphia region, particularly those who have participated in the creation of the cookbook.”
And with the official launch, Pyramid Club is also releasing a Chef Perspective series of short videos via social media that the podcast will expand upon when it debuts later this year. The first video in the series, Pyramid Club Chef Perspective, can be previewed on YouTube currently.
For this particular Cooks Who Care’s residency, it’s only accessible to Pyramid Club members, but the organization is currently developing future events that will be open to the public. Interested Philadelphians can find out details of the Club and memberships online at invitedclubs.com.
The public summer pop-up series however will call a few different locations home: Philadelphians can head to Young American on July 9, when CWC and REUBY take over the Mt. Airy restaurant with a special menu; Rex at the Royal on July 20 at 6 p.m., when CWC will collab with Rex at The Royal’s Beverage Manager Joshua Scheid to offer drink specials (including the “Antonomasia” from the cookbook); or Porco’s Porchetteria & Small Oven Pastry Shop from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 22, when Chef Maria and Porco’s Porchetteria Chef-Owner Chad Durkin will offer samples of the Lemon Linzer Sammy sandwich.
And finally, the last event will take place on July 25 out of state, when Chef Mike Jarzenski will have the book for sale at both of his restaurants in Ohio (the Feel Good BBQ and Greatness Café, both in Akron.)
“The outpouring of support we’ve received since we started the Community Cookbook has been truly incredible,” said Chef Maria Campbell, co-founder of Cooks Who Care in another statement. “From our previous ‘Break the Ice Nights’ pop-ups to the massive charity raffle we held earlier this year, it’s so gratifying to see the importance of this cause recognized.”
Campbell and the team are looking to extend this summer pop-up series into the fall months, and welcome collaborative events from a variety of local, small businesses a release states. Those interested in volunteering at Cooks Who Care’s summer pop-up series can do so by visiting cookswhocare.org
