In the world of upscale restaurants, chefs aren’t always thinking about hungry kids, never mind volunteering to teach single mothers in recovery how to prepare healthy budget-minded meals. But that’s exactly what award-winning chef David Turin—owner of David’s and David’s Opus Ten in Portland and David’s 388 in South Portland—does as a Cooking Matters instructor.
Chef David Turin (Photo courtesy Hannaford)
“I focus on recipes that really stretch their dollars, like starting with a whole chicken, roasting it, then making a stew and then making a soup,” Turin said. “And you get three family meals out of it for $15.”
“Chefs like David play a key role in helping to end hunger, especially childhood hunger, in Maine,” said Courtney Kennedy, nutrition and education manager for Good Shepherd Food Bank. Cooking Matters, a national program of Share Our Strength, is implemented locally by Good Shepherd Food Bank in collaboration with Hannaford, which funds the classes and provides take-home groceries.
“When Share Our Strength came along,” Turin said, “they really made an effort to leverage the appeal of passionately prepared food by chefs with notoriety—and by doing that they made their fundraisers ‘must go-to’ events where chefs were serving the best food they’re capable of cooking and attracting people who can afford to write the checks. When the numbers started to come in on how much money was raised, it was powerful, and we felt like we were doing something important.”
Pairing his culinary passion and his drive to give back, Turin has volunteered with vocational culinary students throughout Maine for a decade and has accompanied six teams to the ProStart culinary national championships. No matter where in Maine he’s mentoring, he’s noticed that culinary students shop at a local Hannaford store.
“To see what’s available locally, I always knew I could either go to the farmer’s market or I could go to Hannaford,” said Turin, who shops for his own family at the Mill Creek Hannaford in South Portland. “But, as I started meeting with department managers from Hannaford and realized these guys know more about sustainable fishing and sustainable farming than anyone I know, I was pretty blown away.”
Turin joined the Hannaford Chef’s Table in April as the supermarket chain announced a $225,000 contribution to Good Shepherd Food bank to support school-based food pantries and Cooking Matters classes. In addition, Turin is vice president of the Casco Bay Chefs Association, 2014 Maine Chef of the Year, and a member of the Honorable Order of the Golden Toque, one of the highest recognitions a chef can receive.
These monthly profiles are brought to you by Hannaford Supermarkets, partners with local farmers since 1883. Hannaford works with more than 800 farms and other food producers located near its stores.
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