For families and individuals navigating financial strain, the simple act of preparing and eating a meal can feel like an insurmountable obstacle. Such food-insecure realities, often hidden yet rampant in high-cost areas like Orange County, is the motivation behind a new initiative at Calico Fish House in Huntington Beach.
Andrew Gruel, the chef and co-owner, along with his wife and co-owner, Lauren, recently launched “Sharing the Table” on Monday, Sept. 29. The program offers free, quality dinners to people and families facing hunger.
“We talk a lot about the need to eat healthier,” said Gruel in an interview, “and one of the biggest pushbacks is how expensive it is. It’s really tough financially right now, especially in California, for families.”
Hungry? Sign up for The Eat Index, our weekly food newsletter, and find out where to eat and get the latest restaurant happenings in Orange County. Subscribe here.Gruel, himself a father of four, emphasizes that food insecurity isn’t just limited to people without shelter. It includes working people living paycheck to paycheck and senior citizens living on fixed incomes. “We forget about a lot of the elderly and senior citizens who just don’t have the annuity or the pension to support their monthly costs because they’ve gone up so much,” he explained.
ALSO READ: Detention, an acclaimed and innovative Santa Ana restaurant, plans to close
Using its wholesale buying power and its quieter Monday evening labor hours, Gruel’s eatery offers a substantial meal brimming with taste and health. Guests can choose a protein — either a slow-roasted organic chicken with a savory rub, or phosphate-free shrimp — paired with seasonal, fire-roasted vegetables. Sides include herb-studded rice or baby dutch yellow potatoes that Gruel describes as “like eating butter.”
Related Articles
Black Lagoon Halloween pop-up bar returns to 3 local places this October Girl Scouts drop Exploremores: Is the new ‘rocky road’ cookie worth the hype? Famed LA Chinese food restaurant Genghis Cohen now open for indoor dining Detention, an acclaimed and innovative Santa Ana restaurant, plans to close Norms Restaurants will give its menu a huge expansion on Oct. 1What’s more, the process is designed to be as unobtrusive as possible. Guests can simply approach the counter and say, “I’m here for Monday’s ‘Sharing the Table.’” In other words, there’s no paperwork. No questioning. No shaming. And absolutely no judgment.
While the in-restaurant service is his first step (Andrew Gruel is also a Huntington Beach city council member), the Gruels plan to create a “phase two” part of the program in the future, partnering with volunteers to deliver meals to local senior living and affordable housing centers.
For people in need, “Sharing the Table” provides relief from both the financial and psychological stressors of food worry, offering the opportunity “to go out and get some good food and not worry about who’s making dinner, buying dinner, what you got to get,” said Gruel. The program happens on Mondays from 4 until 8 p.m.
Shortly after the Los Angeles wildfires broke out in January, Gruel was one of the first Orange County restaurateurs to offer free meals to anyone affected by the fires, as well as use of his Huntington Beach restaurant’s parking lot for temporary shelter.
Find it: Calico Fish House, 16600 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach
Hence then, the article about calico fish house in huntington beach offering free meals for those in need was published today ( ) and is available on The Orange County Register ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Calico Fish House in Huntington Beach offering free meals for those in need )
Also on site :
- 30–35 terrorists on radar: Army steps up counterterror ops in J&K; intense vigil amid 'Chillai Kalan'
- Nine Years After Carrie Fisher Died, Billie Lourd Says Mom “Lives on Through Joy” With Kids, Dad Bryan Lourd
- No. 20 Virginia notches first 11-win season by beating 25th-ranked Missouri in the Gator Bowl