Chef integrates family-style meals
And the Golden Plate award goes to…Gina Williams, chef extraordinaire at the Coon Rapids Salvation Army.
What, you may ask, is the Golden Plate?
It’s a traveling award, kind of like the Stanley Cup. Williams, 55, has won the monthly honor twice ever since she began cooking meals at the Coon Rapids Salvation Army in October. She won one of the awards with her patented Taco Bake (pictured), served with a spring salad, oranges, and tomato rosette.
“I didn’t win the Golden Plate – we won it,” the humble chef said, referring to the 40 to 70 people who eat her scrumptious dinners every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Granted, Williams technically isn’t a Salvation Army employee. She works for Loaves and Fishes, a hunger nonprofit that buys, prepares and serves hot meals (and awards Golden Plates) at 22 churches and community centers in the Twin Cities metro area, including the Coon Rapids Salvation Army and two other Salvation Army locations.
This partnership allows the organizations to serve more people at a substantially lower cost to both parties. Without Loaves and Fishes, the Twin Cities Salvation Army on its own serves about 2,000 hot meals a day. With Loaves and Fishes, an extra 100 to 200 people a day receive hot meals, with little additional cost to The Salvation Army.
Although Williams is not on The Salvation Army’s payroll, she’s pretty much family.
“Gina is truly a gem who silently serves,” said Alisa Ledoux, caseworker and volunteer coordinator at the Coon Rapids Salvation Army (pictured). “She has a heart of gold and the callused hands of Jesus.”
Williams puts all of herself into the meals she makes, and also the way they’re presented. Whenever possible, she serves the food family-style.
“I do that whenever I have enough volunteers – we usually need about six of them,” she said. “It’s nice for families to sit down and pass food to each other. It gives them normalcy. I look at everybody’s little needs and work to make them more comfortable. It goes back to treating other people like you’d want to be treated.”
Williams feels right at home at The Salvation Army. She grew up participating in Salvation Army girl groups and sporting activities. These days, two of her grandchildren are on sports teams at the Payne Ave. Salvation Army in St. Paul.
“It’s a bonus that I ended up cooking for Loaves and Fishes at a Salvation Army,” she said.
For a woman who’s supposed to be retired, Williams sure does work hard.
“I call this my retirement job,” she said, adding that she spent much her life working in food service and hospitality. “It’s nice to come in here and serve the people a good meal – not just a soup kitchen meal.”
Since February, Williams has also served one Loaves and Fishes breakfast per week through a pilot program at the Payne Ave. Salvation Army. Effective June 3, that program has officially become a five-day-a-week meal, thanks in part to her hard work. This meal is in addition to the weekday hot lunch program the Payne Ave. Salvation Army already serves on its own, led by famed chef Jeff Ansorge.
“Jeff has that kitchen so well organized, you can’t help but do well there,” Williams said.
The Salvation Army needs food volunteers to make programs like this possible. Find opportunities near you.