The sun recently rose to an unusual sight at the 40-acre Harvest Solutions Farm in Irvine, a collaborative program of Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. Instead of quiet fields of cabbage awaiting harvest, Knife Pleat’s Michelin-star chef Tony Esnault was hard at work at a mobile cook station, preparing a winter soup of his own creation.
Packed with broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage–exactly the types of winter vegetables growing on the Farm–Chef Tony crafted a recipe that was not only delicious, but also showcased the nutritional goodness and hard work that serves as a main component of Second Harvest Food Bank’s strategy to provide fresh nutrition to Orange County’s residents in need.
To shed light on this incredible initiative, FOX11 News and Good Day LA’s Bob DeCastro was onsite to talk with Chef Tony, his Knife Pleat restaurant partner and wife Yassmin Sarmadi, Harvest Solutions Farm Manager Hannah Standerfer and Second Harvest Food Bank CEO Claudia Bonilla Keller. Bob also encouraged viewers to lend a hand by volunteering at the Farm or making a donation, supporting Second Harvest Food Bank’s vital mission to provide nutrition to Orange County’s food-insecure population.
Want to try out the tasty winter soup recipe created by one of the Orange County Register’s 125 Most Influential people of 2023, known for “working miracles with vegetables?” Check it out here and let us know how you did!
