Why Chefs Should Give Back

I've been friends with Gretchen Witt, one of the founders of Cookies for Kids' Cancer, for a number of years. When her son Liam was in the hospital, a friend of theirs created this email group, a network of people who were cooking and stocking Gretchen and her husband Larry's fridge with meals. They had been spending all day at the hospital and coming home to nothing.

My wife Hannah, who had recently met Gretchen but didn't know her well, was on the email, so we sent over a couple meals here and there. When Liam died, my wife went to his memorial service and, as hard as it was, she walked up to Gretchen and said, "I'm so sorry." They started chatting a bit and we soon became good friends. They came up with the idea for a chef-driven event to raise money for children's cancer research. It seemed like a very natural fit, especially because Liam liked chefs and wanted to be a chef when he grew up. We got everything together and ended up doing the first event three years ago. I joined the board of directors for Cookies for Kids' Cancer and started learning more about the charity and where the money goes. For me as a father, it certainly hits home.

The money we raise funds trials for curing children's cancer. We discuss different hospitals around the country, and the studies and trials that they're working on, and say, "Hey, this one seems to be on the verge of something really special. If we give them $250,000, we're going to fund two more trials and we could really change somebody's life." It's pretty amazing to think that by doing this, you can help to find a cure. Gretchen screens videos during the Chefs for Kids' Cancer dinners, and last year's was about a little girl who was diagnosed and was able to get into one of these trial studies and survived. Had she not gotten into a trial study, she might not be here today.

I certainly think there is something important about giving back. I worked for Danny Meyer for ten years, and that's very much a part of his philosophy. But there's something about being a chef and having this broad reach. Chefs have learned to cast this net and get involved with finance people and celebrities, so now we're able to do a lot more than 15 or 20 years ago, when the chef was just cooking the meal and that was it. We're now turning to our friend, who might be a financier or a musician, and saying, "Hey! Let's team up on this."

I'm also involved with Edible Schoolyard NYC, which goes back to trying to create a better world for our kids to grow up in. Again, it was a natural fit. Here I am cooking food, cooking vegetables, using eggs, respecting the farmers that grow them for us. Through our events and involvement, I'm helping to create funds that will help teach kids where all this food comes from and how to respect it. But I've done charity events on everything from autism to malaria in Africa and all types of cancer. I think it's just a matter of finding one that really hits home or that makes the biggest difference.

Again, I think chefs have a lot to offer these days, with our resources and our passion. Especially at the Chefs for Kids' Cancer event last week, every chef was there because they wanted to be there and were proud to be involved. I think that's really speaks to the nature of a lot chefs these days—they want to give back. We can't write a check for $50,000, so we get involved by donating our food and our time.

I think a lot of this, much like everything else, is learned on the job. For the people who were with me on my team on Tuesday night, doing a job like this is now innate to them, and they expect it. And there's nothing wrong with culinary schools starting to explain the importance of it, to remind people it's more than just cooking on a day-to-day basis.

I met the guys from Maple a little over a year ago. At some point, they said, "Why don't we work on some menu choices together, do a little menu takeover?" When we finished all the recipe testing and everything was all worked out, they gave me a launch date of February 22. The Chefs for Kids' Cancer dinner was the 23rd, so it felt like a perfect fit. I asked if they would donate some proceeds from my menus items to Cookies for Kids' Cancer, and they jumped at that. I think they do a really good job—they really care about the ingredient and about the product. They're working with small farmers and not just buying the cheapest products around. The fact I could tie them into Cookies for Kids' Cancer was amazing.

As for the future, we'll start talking right away about Cookies for Kids' Cancer events for next year. But at this point, I got through that big hurdle—there's definitely a time commitment involved with that charity. Now I've got to get back to focusing on getting this damn restaurant open.

Dan Kluger is an award-wining New York City-based chef who most recently worked as the executive chef of ABC Kitchen and ABC Cocina. Don't ask him about his hotly anticipated and as-yet-untitled upcoming restaurant.

Want to contribute to Cookies for Kids' Cancer? Order a Dan Kluger-designed meal from Maple this week to help the cause, or donate directly here.

As told to Matthew Zuras.