Community Outreach
We’re proud to call Sacramento our home, and we strive to show our deep appreciation to this beautiful, supportive community in tangible ways. Through educational efforts, public policy advocacy and collaboration with other leading culinary professionals, we stay actively involved in local and national conversations with one goal: to passionately promote Sacramento’s leadership in the farm-to-table movement and other key areas, in order to empower communities around the nation – and even the world – to take ownership of making smart, sustainable decisions surrounding food.
Family Meal Sacramento
Family Meal Sacramento was created in March 2020 by Canon, Mulvaney’s and other restaurants. Chefs do three things every day- purchase food, prepare food and plate food. And we saw antsy cooks, empty restaurants and fields with crops going to waste and so we started cooking. What began in church parking lots and youth centers became pickups at school sites throughout the city and formed the basis for Great Plates Delivered which feeds over 1,000 Sacramento seniors every day. This statewide program has delivered over 25 million meals, supported California agriculture and kept people working. This has all been made possible with federal, state and local funding, as well as donations from farmers, ranchers and, most of all, the generosity of the citizens of Sacramento.
Food Policy
In addition to our work in education, we love to get out of the kitchen and work toward more sustainable solutions for businesses in and around the food industry, which is why we’re actively involved in public policy advocacy at the local, regional and national levels. The focus, as in the restaurant, is that everyone go to bed well fed. So we have been working to take the lessons of Family Meal Sacramento to help lessen nutritional insecurity.
Patrick also engages in the James Beard Foundation’s Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change, a network of civically and politically minded chefs that provides tools and guidance for those who are committed to creating a better food system. The pandemic has shown us how to better take care of our neighbors and we believe that a better food system will arise, bringing a brighter future for our children.
Roots of Change
Locally, we work with Roots of Change and the California Food Policy Council to effect change in statewide policies. Given our proximity to the Capitol building, we have a unique opportunity to remain actively involved with state legislators on issues surrounding food policy advocacy. From improving food access and affordability, to improving transparency around farm workers’ rights and the humane treatment of farm animals, to promoting healthy eating habits and reducing the incidence of hunger in our local community, we are passionate about doing our part to promote meaningful changes in legislation.
We believe that breaking bread around the table is the first step in conversations that can change society for the better. Bringing people together, stepping back and watching the magic happen is one of our favorite things to do.