“We know that because of COVID-19, many of our residents continue to be unable to put food on their tables,” said NOHSEP Director Collin Arnold. “We’ve been able to show great success in the last five months and I’m so grateful that our partnership with FEMA will allow this program to continue over the holiday season and in this winter surge.”  

This first-of-its-kind program serves New Orleans residents impacted by COVID-19, including seniors, high-risk health individuals, residents who are COVID positive or are quarantining due to potential exposure, homeless residents, and children under 18. Currently, there are just under 11,000 residents enrolled in the program receiving free daily meals and there is plenty of capacity for new participants.

You may be eligible for meals if you are in any of the following categories and you are not receiving any other federal food support (including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)): 

• Seniors age 65 and above 
• Adults with high-risk health conditions and special medical needs (Examples include pregnancy, smoking, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart or lung disease, obesity, cancer, compromised immune system, kidney disease, liver disease, HIV, AIDS, Sickle cell disease, and more.) 
• Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed and require isolation or quarantine 
• Homeless residents 
• Children under 18 

To apply, go to ready.nola.gov/meals or call 3-1-1. 

“What’s unique about this program is that the meals are being produced by local restaurants and home delivered,” said Chef’s Brigade founder and Executive Director Troy Gilbert. “It truly is an emergency financial lifeline to many in our beloved and culturally important restaurant industry, whether that's restaurants and their kitchen staff, purveyors or independent chefs.” 

To date, 80 local restaurants through the Chef’s Brigade coalition have been producing meals, which are organized and stored by the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI), packaged by Revolution Foods, and delivered by d’livery NOLA. Low-sodium and diabetic-friendly meals are also available and are being produced by Revolution Foods. This program has re-employed at least 500 New Orleanians who may have otherwise been out of work due to the pandemic in food production alone. Additional jobs have been created in the delivery and administration components of the program. For a report on the financial impacts of the program on the restaurant industry produced by Chef’s Brigade, visit chefsbrigadenola.org. 

Some of the participating restaurants include: 

• 2Brothers 1Love
• Afrodesiac
• Avila Grill
• Bacchanal
• Boucherie
• Brechtel Hospitality
• Brennans Commissary
• Briquette Warehouse
• Brown Butter
• Café Dauphine
• Café Degas
• Café Minh
• Café Navarrre
• Café Porche
• Central City BBQ
• Chase Catering and Concession
• City Greens
• Clesi’s Restaurant and Catering
• Cochon
• Costera
• Court of Two Sisters
• Dat Dog
• Diva Dawg
• Domenica
• Dona’s Pizza
• Dong Phuong
• Dunbar’s Creole Cuisine
• Eat Well
• Elysian Events
• Frankie and Johnny’s
• Grilling Shilling
• Howling Wolf
• Iacovone Kitchen
• Johnny Sanchez
• Juniors on Harrison
• Katies
• Killer Poboys
• Live Oak Café
• Luke
• Mahony’s
• Marie’s Fleur De Lis Catering
• Martin Wine Cellar
• Maya’s
• Meribo Pizza
• Messina’s
• Mint Modern Vietnamese
• Mirepoix Event Catering
• Mopho
• My House Events
• New Orleans Creole Cookery
• Next to Eat
• Nirvana Indian Cuisine
• NOCHI
• Nolavore
• Nole Restaurant
• Panola Street Cafe
• Patois
• Poke Loa
• Red Fish Grill
• Rockrose
• Saffron NOLA
• Sala
• Silk Road
• Soule Café
• Streetcar Restaurant
• Taceaux Loceaux
• Tangarine Kitchen
• TAVA
• The Backyard
• Toulouse Catering
• Two Tony’s
• Welty’s Deli
• Zea

Restaurants that would like to join in this effort should use the form found on the Chef’s Brigade website: chefsbrigadenola.org/become-a-restaurant-partner.