Feed The People - Chef Tarik Abdullah

Chef Tarik Abdullah - Interview Transcript

So basically what's happening is... Since you know we have what you call this community kitchens set up. So basically what I have here; I'm sharing a space with Jimaine Miller, while he serves Soulful Dishes and the community kitchen part of it is me setting up a hot station of prepared meals from people that donate food. From chefs to locals, farmers, you name it. And we just make unique meals Monday through Friday, 10 a.m to 6 p.m. Anywhere from fifty meals up to a hundred a day.

Man, real talk, seriously... My homie Jameil was doing Josh Day, where they were feeding the homeless and I was just like... And then he decided to retire that and I was like I wanted it to keep it going, you know. And so talked to Nikkita with the People's Party; Washington Hall, and then we've done two years of that. And now we know that on Christmas there's no places for folks to get food on Christmas. So it'll only make senses to just do it. All the stuff that we're doing, all makes sense to be doing it. I mean I could be sitting at home, but then I'm like... No man, yeah. It makes sense to be doing this man, you know.

Feed the People, Feed the People. I was probably, I don't know. A year or so into the pop-ups. I can't man, I'm trying to remember, and then somebody came up to me was "like yo man, you always feeding the people" and I was like "yeah, you know but that what we do right". You know, but I think it was just from a way of saying that anytime there's a possibility that the community needed some food, you know, if I'm available, I'ma definitely set up to the plate and I just stuck with that tagline man. And really, honestly it's just stuck with me in a way where I'm able to just... Look what's going on right now and that's whats even more trippy about it. Like that idea, like when I stuck with the tag line and now how the tag line it's just like, like as relevant I guess. You know what I mean, like it's a trip man. But I know that anytime I see it it's just that I know somebody is doing something based around the work, you know. So, I just pretty much just said "Hey, "I'm gonna keep feeding folks "until we can't feed folks no more".

If folks want to give food, for me or anyone on the collective they go Seattle Community Kitchen Collective. We are a seven day a week community kitchens so if I'm open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m to 6 p.m Kristi’s (That Brown Girl Cooks) Wednesday and Saturday, Melissa (Musang) does four days, Cam does a day, Sugar Hill does two days, Hood Famous does two days. So we're basic covering all the days.