For Boulder’s restaurant community, a good meal can do more than satisfy an appetite. It can bring people together, offer comfort and remind someone that they matter. That philosophy drives Chefs at the Shelter, a monthly culinary collaboration. It connects local chefs with All Roads, Boulder County’s main homeless services organization.
On October 20, Gerald Manning, partner at Three Leaf Concepts and director of operations for the restaurant group, joined chef Kevin Ohlson and the All Roads kitchen team to prepare a meal for 160 overnight shelter guests. The menu included lemon-glazed carrots, whipped potatoes, smoked brisket with caramelized onion jus, fall salad, and peach cobbler.
Most of the ingredients were donated by Three Leaf Concepts, which runs several Boulder-area restaurants, including Chautauqua Dining Hall, Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, Zucca Italian, and The Huckleberry. They were among the first groups to commit to the initiative. Through this program Manning brought his hospitality experience into a kitchen where the focus extends beyond restaurant service to the daily work of feeding a community.
Being a long-standing Boulder institution, Chautauqua Dining Hall and Three Leaf Concepts are honored to join All Roads. Manning said it is a privilege to offer comfort and kindness to people in our community facing difficult times. “It is a privilege to offer some comfort and kindness to people in our community who are facing difficult times.”
A Different Kind of Kitchen
At All Roads, cooking requires a particular kind of expertise when it comes to ingredients. Every day the organization’s kitchen team and volunteers prepare meals for shelter guests. They use ingredients that come from community donations. Approximately 90% of the shelter’s food is donated, meaning menus must adapt to what is available.
The monthly Chefs at the Shelter dinners bring guest chefs into that process. They work alongside the staff and volunteers responsible for feeding shelter guests daily. For Manning and Ohlson, the October 20 dinner was an opportunity to put their experience to work in a setting where hospitality has a direct, immediate impact, and they could see it first hand.
“Chefs at the Shelter is more than just a dinner service, it reflects a core belief that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion and respect,” said Michael Block, CEO of All Roads.
Boulder’s Culinary Community Steps Up
Presented by Alpine Bank, the program draws from Boulder’s diverse food community. Participants include Blackbelly, The Buff, Café Aion, Centro, and Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. The Boulder Daily Camera also supports the series as a sponsor. The Boulder Daily Camera also supports the series as a sponsor.
“Chefs at the Shelter not only addresses an immediate need, but also sends a powerful message that people matter, regardless of their circumstances,” said Cynthia Case, the Alpine Bank’s head of community outreach for the Front Range.
More Than a Meal
Although the Boulder dinners are not open to the public, Chefs at the Shelter offers a way for individuals and organizations to support All Roads’ broader mission of helping people exit homelessness permanently.
Each dinner also provides a sponsorship opportunity of $1,000 to help cover meal costs and shelter services. The funding supports the work behind the scenes, from preparing food to maintaining the services shelter guests rely on.
“The work they do brings hope, dignity and comfort to the community,” Manning said, “and we are thankful for the opportunity to partner with them.”
Get involved: Individuals and organizations interested in sponsoring a future Chefs at the Shelter dinner can visit allroadsboco.org/chefs-at-the-shelter or contact Andy Schultheiss at Andy@AllRoadsBoco.org.
