A few big headlines today...
- DACA gets to stay in place for now after today's Supreme Court ruling.
- HISD wants to know what you think of their back to regular school year schedule? ... During a pandemic. Take this survey for parents.
- Texas COVID-19 cases jump a record 3,516 to almost 100,000 total statewide.
- HFD says arson played a role in the 5015 Bar explosion from June 12th. PHOTOS
- I'll be trying the new tangy pickle flavored Doritos. Look'em up!
If you're in the Heights and want to support neighborhood restaurants that are making a difference, here's one opportunity...
Mastrantos Team Humbled To
Serve Thousands of Meals to Houston Heights Seniors through World Central
Kitchen #ChefsForAmerica Initiative
HOUSTON - June 10, 2020 - By the end of this week, Mastrantos
restaurant in the Heights will have prepared, packaged and delivered over 2,000
nutritious meals to neighbors residing at Heights House Apartments, a senior low income housing
apartment subsidized by the federal government’s Housing and Urban Development
Division; Mastrantos will have executed this endeavor by serving as a partner
restaurant for the #ChefsForAmerica campaign by World Central Kitchen (WCK),
the global food relief-focused nonprofit founded by celebrity chef José Andrés.
The #ChefsForAmerica initiative aims to help feed marginalized and vulnerable
communities impacted by COVID-19, such as seniors who are isolated for their
safety and unable to access meal services..
Mastrantos owner Xavier Godoy says, “We were born to serve and
spoil people and we always have the desire to use our time in a meaningful
way—due to local regulations, we were limited to do what we love the most;
we’ve been limited to serve only a small fraction of the customers we used to
serve before the pandemic.” Godoy expands, “we’d been following the incredible
work of World Central Kitchen for years, and thought it would be really amazing
to channel our energy during this time into serving as a partner restaurant.
So, we jumped for it—we applied to work with the organization and waited to
hear back.”
Two weeks later, Godoy heard from World Central Kitchen that they
desired to have Mastrantos on board as a restaurant partner. In order to
participate, the organization asked that Mastrantos create a set number of
meals, employ current staff for the project, and follow safety and menu
creation protocols. Xavier committed to producing at least 160 meals per day
for two weeks. To execute the production, he brought back a
previously-furloughed team-member. The Mastrantos team has been working from 6
a.m. to 11 a.m. on weekdays to make, package and deliver the dishes. As part of
WCK’s promise to help restaurants during these difficult times, the
organization pays the restaurant a nominal amount for each meal.
“We are humbled to have the opportunity to serve our neighbors,”
says Mastrantos executive chef Tony Castillo. “We are trying to go above and
beyond in the creation of dishes for them. True to the restaurant’s nature,
we’ve been incorporating fresh, delicious flavors from around the world into
the required protein, starch or grain and vegetable format.”
The restaurant team agreed to continue helping indefinitely, and
hopes to have the chance to keep making meals for vulnerable populations for a
long time to come.
#MaskUp Y'all!
HEIGHTSTONIAN
