Restauranteurs, Prince William government spin up to feed the needy

Zandra’s, like many other restaurants, has a large kitchen.

But due to the coronavirus outbreak that has forced the closure of many dining rooms in the area and around the state, the kitchen has seen little use these past few weeks.

So, Zandra’s owner Miguel Pires he and his landlord, Sean Landry, teamed up to put his kitchen equipment to use, by cooking food and donating it to Prince William Food Rescue. There, the food is turned into gourmet meals for the hungry in our area.

Zandra’s Kitchen, located inside the old Gainesville Elementary in Haymarket, also known as Pace West, is the inspiration for the name of the project he is calling “Old School Kitchen.”

The original school kitchen had been remodeled and renovated as part of the process to be a production facility for Zandra’s, which also has locations in Manassas and Fairfax cities. But for now, Pires says he doesn’t need it.

Instead, he and Landry saw people who needed food in the area and put their heads together to solve the problem Pires launched a GoFundMe to raise funds for the project. While Pires will be paying a few people who peel potatoes and make rice, he said that the chefs are all volunteers.

The first is Jules Foeaman, a chef who operates Jules Caribbean Barbecue, a food truck in Leesburg. Foeaman has spent his time in the Haymarket kitchen smoking chicken and pork butts. Along with the food that’s been donated, they buy basic things like pasta, rice, and olive oil. These special ingredients to turn their food into gourmet meals.

 “My thought is to bring in different people,” Pires said, explaining that their goal is to work with people in the community to come and whip up their own personal recipes.

Pires said that he was inspired to spin up his charitable efforts by another local business owner, Sharita Rouse, of Tummy Yum Yum, a gourmet candy apple store in Downtown Manassas. From her apple stand at 9119 Church Street, she has been feeding 150 people a day.

When Pires heard about this, he said, “We could do that with our crew.” Now, Old School Kitchen will make meals and deliver them to Rouse, who will distribute the food.

Pires said that they will start with Rouse, but as the word gets out they will find other non-profits and other food kitchens who can use the meals.

Pires said the best way to help them is by donating. He noted that a $10 donation makes roughly ten meals.

There’s also the challenge of getting people to sign up to be volunteers for Prince William Food Rescue, who will deliver the food.

Taking the ingredients and turning them into fully-prepared meals is essential for some who don’t have the ability or knowhow to cook.

“They’re the poorest of the poor,” Pires said. “If you give them a case of lettuce, they’re just eating lettuce. “So, by preparing the actual meals it is “putting something to good use,” said Pires.

An official launch date for the “Old School Kitchen” was slated for Monday, April 13.

The Old School Kitchen comes as the Prince William County Government is working with multiple food kitchens to feed residents in the wake of the coronavirus spread. Didlake, an organization that works with people with disabilities, donated their warehouse on Breeden Avenue in Manassas that will serve as a headquarters for the food distribution in the community.

According to a county press release posted to its website:

“Born out of the desire to help those in need, Prince William County partnered with Action in the Community Through Service (ACTS), the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park and the Prince William County Community Foundation to establish the Community Feeding Taskforce — a scalable, flexible, long-term feeding operation put in place to make sure Prince William County residents who need food receive it during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ACTS Development Director Aaron Tolson said ACTS has been working with Prince William County’s Emergency Management Office and other partners to build a hub-and-spoke distribution system to match the food supply to the need in the community.”

To volunteer with the Community Feeding Taskforce, download the Prince William Food Rescue app or register with Volunteer Prince William.

To donate food, please donate to either a local food pantry or call ACTS at 703-441-8606, extension 251 to coordinate a drop off time.