Food

Leah Chase: “We Changed The Course of the World over a Bowl of Gumbo”

NEW ORLEANS DATA NEWS WEEKLY — With the passing this week of New Orleans’ Queen of Creole cuisine, Leah Chase, a part of New Orleans has died. It was at her table where the Freedom Riders gathered to break bread after their dangerous journey into the segregated south. It was there where the NAACP planned strategy. She hosted musicians, artists, actors and Presidents. In typical fashion, she scolded President Obama for adding hot sauce to her already-perfectly-seasoned gumbo.

Published

5 years ago

June 14, 2019

Oakland Post

By Marc H. Morial, President and CEO National Urban League

“I was taught that your job was to make this earth better. I hope my children will carry on. I hope I’ve taught them enough to keep trying to grow, keep trying to make people understand how to enjoy life. Look at all the beautiful things around you, look at the progress. You gotta enjoy that, you gotta appreciate that, and I do.” – Leah Chase

With the passing this week of New Orleans’ Queen of Creole cuisine, Leah Chase, a part of New Orleans has died. It was at her table where the Freedom Riders gathered to break bread after their dangerous journey into the segregated south. It was there where the NAACP planned strategy. She hosted musicians, artists, actors and Presidents. In typical fashion, she scolded President Obama for adding hot sauce to her already-perfectly-seasoned gumbo.

My earliest memories of Mrs. Chase were Friday night outings with my grandparents to her landmark restaurant, Dooky Chase. In the days of Jim Crow, most of the upscale restaurants refused to serve Black patrons, so Dooky Chase quickly became a cultural, social and political center for Black life in New Orleans. When the National Urban League held our conference in New Orleans in 2012, I was proud to hold our Board of Trustees meeting there.

No visit home to New Orleans has ever been complete without a meal at Dooky Chase and a visit to the kitchen to catch up with its tireless proprietress. The woman whose portrait is enshrined in the National Portrait Gallery, and whose life inspired a beloved Disney character was born in Madisonville, Louisiana, across Lake Ponchartrain from New Orleans. One of 11 children, she was 6 years old when the Great Depression struck, and she recalled wearing clothes made from grain sacks and subsisting on food from their own garden.

She arrived in New Orleans to attend Catholic high school, and went on to work at a French Quarter restaurant for $1 a day. Just after World War II ended, she married jazz musician Edgar “Dooky” Chase, whose parents owned a po’ boy stand in Treme. Over the years she would transform the business into one of the most significant and celebrated restaurants in the entire country.

A generation of children were introduced to Leah Chase in the character of Tiana, Disney’s first African-American princess, in 2009’s The Princess and the Frog. When he first visited Dooky Chase, the film’s co-director John Musker, he was surprised to see a photo of General George Patton on the wall among Mrs. Chase’s famed collection of African-American art.

“She goes, ‘That was a man that I admired,’” Musker recalled. “It was just a great thing to see this warm and nurturing thing, but she has this flinty side, too, where she can be both. That’s what we tried to get with Tiana, that she’s very warm and vulnerable but she has a passion, spine and a backbone and she’s really trying to get something done and doesn’t give in easily to things.”

Mrs. Chase always said, “In my dining room, we changed the course of America over a bowl of gumbo and some fried chicken.” It was an honor beyond words to count her among my friends, and to carry forth her legacy.

This article originally appeared in the New Orleans Data News Weekly.

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Bay Area

Richmond’s First ‘Mobile Vendor Plaza’ Opens for Business

The very first Mobile Vendor Plaza brought a variety of food options to a parking lot in Downtown Richmond on Saturday, Sept. 21. It also brought the promise of more markets just like it to come. The market was held in the lot at 1401 Macdonald Ave., near the BART parking garage. It will open every Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., offering foods such as tacos, pupusas, sandwiches, and also refreshing drinks, according to the city.

Published

1 week ago

October 2, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of the City of Richmond.

The Richmond Standard

The very first Mobile Vendor Plaza brought a variety of food options to a parking lot in Downtown Richmond on Saturday, Sept. 21.

It also brought the promise of more markets just like it to come.

The market was held in the lot at 1401 Macdonald Ave., near the BART parking garage. It will open every Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., offering foods such as tacos, pupusas, sandwiches, and also refreshing drinks, according to the city.

Announced in August, the new market is a partnership between the City of Richmond and Richmond Farmers Market. It is the first of the Mobile Vendor Program, which aims to provide a place for sidewalk vendors to conduct business in a regulated manner.

All mobile vendors can participate for free, but vendors must be registered with the City with a Special Business Activity Permit. For more about the program, go to https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4685/COMING-SOON—Mobile-Vendor-Market.

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Bay Area

Jumpy House, Car Show and Good Food Mark Marin City Labor Day Celebration

Many people came out and enjoyed the Marin City Labor Day celebration, which was held on Monday, Sept. 2 on the grass of 100 Drake Ave. The celebration featured a a jumpy house for kids, food, music, and a car show.

Published

1 week ago

October 1, 2024

Oakland Post

From top to bottom, left to right: Event planners Lulu and Antoinette, Annette Henry, Shannon Bynum, and Lamesha Bynum. Next row: Ain Ashby, Krystal Rose and Vincenzo Bezerra. Bottom: Melba Banks and Darrell Roary, car show with Dennett Colescott’s white 1966 Dodge Charger on the left. Photos by Godfrey Lee.

By Godfrey Lee

Antoinette and Lulu, who also organized the celebration event, gave out backpacks and school supplies. The Books and Blends table, manned by Krystal Rose and Vincenzo Bezerra, gave away donated books.

Annette Henry, Shannon and Lamesha Bynum manned the Marin County Cooperative Team (MCCT). They were collecting names for the Marin City email newsletter and was announcing the launch of the “Vision Project” — a holistic mentorship program for Marin City Transitional Age Youth, ages16 to 25.

The Vision Project, according to the flyer, involves mentorship from a non-parental adult who plays an important role in promoting healthy development for youth within a strengths-based, advocacy framework.

Mentees and mentors are provided a monthly stipend for active participation.

“Mentees have their own mentor who they meet with weekly one-on-one for at least 2 hours,” according to their FaceBook Page. “With their mentor’s support, mentees set goals within their Individual Development Plans (IDPs) to foster success within life skills, employment, education, mental health, healthcare, housing and other critical support/needs.”

MCCT also announced their drug overdose treatment training every Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Starbucks patio in the Gateway Shopping Center, 110 Donahue St. The training will help you learn the signs of a fentanyl overdose, train to reverse an overdose with Narcan®, and to get free Narcan® so you’re always prepared.

The food was good. Among the many food booths were: Ain Ashby who served her Torani-flavored lemonade, Lester and Diema who served their turkey legs that was large enough for leftovers, and Melba Banks, of Pieman Sweets, displaying her pies.

Tiffany Richards was displaying her purses for sale.

Close to two dozen classic cars were being displayed in the parking lot, three of them being the Oldsmobile Cutlass. One was a yellow, 1972 model owned by Darrell Roary. Dennett Colescot of San Rafael also displayed his car, a 1966 Dodge Charger.

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Activism

Access Better Health with Medically Tailored Meals – Transforming Health Through Nutrition for Medi-Cal Patients

Medically Tailored Meals are one of 14 new services offered through Medi-Cal that provide members with access to new and improved services to get well-rounded care that goes beyond the doctor’s office or hospital.

Published

3 weeks ago

September 19, 2024

Oakland Post

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Launched in 2018, the Medically Tailored Meals pilot program was designed to help Medi-Cal patients with congestive heart failure by reducing hospital readmissions and emergency department visits by providing tailored meals meeting specific dietary needs.

The program’s success in improving health outcomes and reducing costly emergency room visits encouraged the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to expand the Medically Tailored Meals program to all 58 counties through Medi-Cal transformation and a new set of services called Community Supports.

Medically Tailored Meals: Overview

Malnutrition and poor nutrition can lead to severe health outcomes, especially among Medi-Cal patients with chronic health conditions. Medically Tailored Meals aim to improve health outcomes, reduce hospital readmissions, and enhance patient satisfaction by providing essential nutrition.

Key Features:

Post-Discharge Delivery: Meals are delivered to patients’ homes immediately following discharge from a hospital or nursing home.
Customized Nutrition: Meals are tailored to meet the dietary needs of those with chronic diseases, designed by registered dietitians (RD) or certified nutrition professionals based on evidence-based guidelines.
Comprehensive Services: Includes medically tailored groceries, healthy food vouchers, and food pharmacies.
Educational Support: Behavioral, cooking, and nutrition education is included when paired with direct food assistance.

Key Benefits:

Address Food Insecurity: Mitigates poor health outcomes linked to food insecurity.
Support Complex Care Needs: Tailored to individuals with chronic conditions.
Improve Health Outcomes: Studies show improvements in diabetes control, fall prevention, and medication adherence.

Patient Testimonial:

“My diabetes has gotten better with the meals. I’ve kept my weight down, and I feel much better now than I have in a long time. I’m one of the people this program is meant for.” — Brett

Eligibility:

Eligible Populations: Eligible Medi-Cal members include those with chronic conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, congestive heart failure, stroke, chronic lung disorders, HIV, cancer, gestational diabetes, and chronic mental or behavioral health disorders. Also, those being discharged from a hospital or skilled nursing facility or at high risk of hospitalization or nursing facility placement are also eligible.

Service Limitations: Up to two meals per day for up to 12 weeks, extendable if medically necessary. Meals eligible for reimbursement by alternate programs are not covered.

Cost Savings and Improved Health Outcomes:

Health Outcomes: Research indicates a 22% to 58% decrease in emergency department visits and a 27% to 63% decrease in inpatient admissions among Medically Tailored Meals recipients, translating to significant health care cost savings.

Project Open Hand: A Success Story

Project Open Hand has been a leader in providing Medically Tailored Meals, significantly impacting the lives of Bay Area Medi-Cal patients with chronic illnesses. Since its inception, Project Open Hand has delivered nutritious meals to individuals with diabetes, HIV, and other serious health conditions, demonstrating remarkable health improvements and cost savings.

Key Achievements:

Improved Health Outcomes: Project Open Hand’s research found a 50% increase in medication adherence among recipients of Medically Tailored Meals.
Reduced Hospitalizations: Their program showed a 63% reduction in hospitalizations for patients with diabetes and HIV.
Enhanced Quality of Life: Patients reported better health and increased energy levels.

Project Open Hand ensures that each meal is prepared using fresh, wholesome ingredients tailored to meet the specific dietary needs of its clients. By partnering with Medi-Cal managed care plans, Project Open Hand continues to provide life-saving nutrition to those who need it most.

Join Us in Our Mission

You can experience the profound impact of Medically Tailored Meals by joining the Medi-Cal Community Supports services initiative. Your involvement can make a difference in promoting your health through nutrition.

Learn More

For more information about Medically Tailored Meals and how to get involved, call the state’s Medi-Cal Health Care options at 800-430-4263 or contact your local managed care plan.

In Alameda County, Medi-Cal recipients can contact:

Alameda Alliance for Health: 510-747-4567
Kaiser Permanente: 855-839-7613
In Contra Costa County, Medi-Cal recipients can contact:
* Contra Costa Health Plan: 877-661-6230
Kaiser Permanente: 855-839-7613

In Marin County, Medi-Cal recipients can contact:

Partnership Health Plan of California: 800-863-4155
* Kaiser Permanente: 855-839-7613

In Solano County, Medi-Cal recipients can contact:

* Partnership Health Plan of California: 800-863-4155
Kaiser Permanente: 855-839-7613

Your health and well-being are your health care provider’s top priority. Medically Tailored Meals are designed to enhance quality of life by advancing health care through the power of nutrition. Experience the benefits today and take the first step toward a healthier you.