A Berry Good Day at the Farm with the Guas Boys

Chugga-Chugga-Choo! Choo!

Early Friday morning, I’ll be caught a plane to NYC to celebrate my big brother’s 50th birthday – but after my experience on the Patron Tequila Epicurean Express this week, I’d really rather be taking the train. Specifically, that train! Patron’s beautifully restored vintage car far outshines any first-class cabin in which I’ve ever had the pleasure to fly.

The two-day event here in Washington’s Union Station was for the St. Bernard Project, Liz McCarthy and Zack Rosenberg’s powerhouse of a Louisiana charity that is now focusing on helping the fishermen, shrimpers and oystermen whose livelihoods are threatened by the oil spill. They developed this organization in 2006 to help the St Bernard residents displaced from Hurricane Katrina. Teaming up with Patron Tequila, the goal for the Epicurean Express [with additional stops in Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Los Angeles] was to raise $75,000 to rebuild the houses of three fishermen, and to provide 375 additional hours of mental health services to fishermen and their families.

Thanks to a generous band of top Washington chefs, mixologists, and a few New Orleans colleagues who turned out scores of hors d’oeuvres and a five course dinner [featuring seafood from the Gulf of Mexico] we more than met our portion of the goal. We also made some good friends in the process, and our efforts didn’t go unnoticed: the event got coverage in over a dozen media outlets [and counting…] including The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC News, Bon Appétit’s Epicurious, and Food & Wine. Here’s hoping that translates into even more support for the St. Bernard Project. And the next time the Patron Tequila Epicurean Express comes to town, I’ll certainly be on board… in more ways that one!

The Patron Tequila Epicurean Express

Aligator Tail!

Brian Landry from Galatoire's

Jeff Tunks from Passion Food Hospitality

All of the chefs with Congressman Charlie Melancon and Lynn Breaux

Congressman Melancon addressing the crowd

Greg Reggio of Zea in New Orleand and David Guas of DamGoodSweet

Damian Torguson from Brasserie Beck

Gina Chersevani from PS 7 - 2010 RAMMY Winner

with Congressman and Mrs. Melancon and Betty Ann Tanner

Brian Landry and Greg Reggio

Todd Thrasher from Restaurant Eve, PX and Majestic

All of the chefs from Wednesday night's dinner

with DC Citycouncilman, Jack Evans and Zack Rosenburg, co-founder of St. Bernard Project

Chefs Move to Schools at The White House

Chefs David Guas, Jeff Tunks and Robert Wiedmaier were invited along with more than 500 chefs from around the country to join First Lady Michelle Obama at The White House today as part of her Chefs Move to Schools program in the fight against childhood obesity. Each chef will be adopting a school in an effort to revitalize school lunches and make them healthier for students.

Chris Watson, John Currence, David Guas, Linton Hopkins, Jeff Tunks

The Dames of Les Dames D' Escoffier

with Gina Hopkins

Carla Hall and Bryan Voltaggio of Top Chef

David Guas and Pastry Chef, Michael Laiskonis from La Bernardin in New York City

David Guas, Robert Wiedmaier and Tom Colicchio, host of Top Chef

Robert Wiedmaier

David Guas and Bryan Voltaggio

Marcel's Chef de Cuisine, Carla Hall, Robert Wiedmaier and David Guas

David Guas and Pastry Chef, Gale Gand from Tru in Chicago

David Guas and Sherry Yard, Wolfgang Puck's longtime pastry chef

Suicide Watch - Fisherman of St. Bernard Parish

It’s 9:00 am, Friday, May 29, 2010 in the St. Bernard Project clinic and it is bustling with patients ranging from displaced Katrina families to fisherman needing to see a psychiatrist. Volunteers are flowing in the small office situated amongst warehouse buildings for the all women’s rebuild weekend. 250 women are planning to attend. Then in pops Anna Lynne McCord of 90120 to help build her second home. Then silence takes over when George Barisich, president of the United Commercial Fisherman Association, says, “I was on suicide watch for nine fishermen last night. It has been the worst I have ever seen. We have lost lives in Katrina and now on the wake of its fifth anniversary we are losing lives in the same area of St. Bernard Parish, once again.” This time it is not by a natural disaster, but from a man-made disaster. This is not by choice! Fishermen are taking their own life or are on the verge, because they cannot cope. More fishermen are going to end up dead like their silent ships dead on the water.

One place is turning the stigma of how to cope with HOPE! St.Bernard Project has provided the only free clinic to victims of Katrina since 2006, and now with this BP mess there is even greater demand! The Haiti crisis brought a surge of survivors back to the clinic in fear of being forgotten.  Now the numbers are overflowing since the BP oil spill and the LSU medical psychologists and psychiatrists cannot keep up! Fishermen are proud, blue collar workers who live for being on the water. They are resilient like the waters after the storm. They have tirelessly fished and farmed these waters for the country’s benefit of providing glorious seafood from the Gulf of Mexico. These tough men and woman are breaking down.  We owe it to them to help them. BP is poisoning their health, and poisoning their livelihood.

Listen and learn the fisherman’s cry for help!