Professional chef Mario Ochoa Vital said after his time in culinary school, he dedicated his craft to catering large parties and events, but when COVID-19 canceled events in Omaha, there were no more clients to serve his delicious food. “When the pandemic hit, everyone was sent to work from home, and there was no staff to support us being in the building,” said Ochoa Vital.So, as Ochoa Vital’s kitchen sat empty until Anna Curry with Whispering Roots suggested they partner up and repurpose the space. “We said, ‘Hey you got time!’ And we can’t do classes. Let’s come together and try this out,'” said Curry. “And, it’s just exploded.” At the beginning of the pandemic, Whispering Roots was also in a transition period. The organization had moved away from strictly food education to feeding hungry bellies, distributing USDA food boxes around the Omaha Metro.”They were all around the community, these produce boxes and meat boxes,” said Curry. “And what we found was, people weren’t actually able to do anything with those if they didn’t have a kitchen. We just really saw a need for ready-to-eat meals.”Curry said with Ocho Vital’s expert skills, the organization was able to produce gourmet, healthy dishes for the community. “If you can’t cook, you’re probably eating a lot of processed food, ready-to-eat food and fast food,” said Ochoa Vital. “And so we’re actually trying to create a scratch, chef-made meal for people. So it’s a good, quality meal, not just something easy to throw together.”The kitchen now prepares as many as 400 meals per week for people facing food insecurity, but for Ochoa Vital, the quality is as important as the quantity. “Knowing that the meals that we put out are feeding people that are possibly really hungry or this might be their only meal that they’re getting for the day, we always want to make sure that it’s always a great meal,” said Ocho Vital. “We treat this as if we’re working with a high-end client.”Ochoa vital said now, cooking for those in need is his full-time job, and it’s what he’s doing best. “That’s why I decided to go into this field because I like talking to people,” said Ochoa Vital. “I love doing this every day because it ties all of my passions together.”
Professional chef Mario Ochoa Vital said after his time in culinary school, he dedicated his craft to catering large parties and events, but when COVID-19 canceled events in Omaha, there were no more clients to serve his delicious food.
“When the pandemic hit, everyone was sent to work from home, and there was no staff to support us being in the building,” said Ochoa Vital.
So, as Ochoa Vital’s kitchen sat empty until Anna Curry with Whispering Roots suggested they partner up and repurpose the space.
“We said, ‘Hey you got time!’ And we can’t do classes. Let’s come together and try this out,'” said Curry. “And, it’s just exploded.”
At the beginning of the pandemic, Whispering Roots was also in a transition period. The organization had moved away from strictly food education to feeding hungry bellies, distributing USDA food boxes around the Omaha Metro.
“They were all around the community, these produce boxes and meat boxes,” said Curry. “And what we found was, people weren’t actually able to do anything with those if they didn’t have a kitchen. We just really saw a need for ready-to-eat meals.”
Curry said with Ocho Vital’s expert skills, the organization was able to produce gourmet, healthy dishes for the community.
“If you can’t cook, you’re probably eating a lot of processed food, ready-to-eat food and fast food,” said Ochoa Vital. “And so we’re actually trying to create a scratch, chef-made meal for people. So it’s a good, quality meal, not just something easy to throw together.”
The kitchen now prepares as many as 400 meals per week for people facing food insecurity, but for Ochoa Vital, the quality is as important as the quantity.
“Knowing that the meals that we put out are feeding people that are possibly really hungry or this might be their only meal that they’re getting for the day, we always want to make sure that it’s always a great meal,” said Ocho Vital. “We treat this as if we’re working with a high-end client.”
Ochoa vital said now, cooking for those in need is his full-time job, and it’s what he’s doing best.
“That’s why I decided to go into this field because I like talking to people,” said Ochoa Vital. “I love doing this every day because it ties all of my passions together.”
