Andrew Talks to Chefs Episode 117: Chef Edward Lee & Lindsey Ofcacek (founders, The LEE Initiative)
The LEE Initiative has been working to improve the restaurant industry for several years, with programs like a women's chef mentorship program. When COVID-19 swept across the United States, shuttering restaurants and leaving millions of industry employees out of work, founders Edward Lee, Lindsey Ofcacek, and their team instituted a number of new programs to help workers, farms, and other industry constituents across the United States.
On this episode, Edward and Lindsey take time out from their brutal schedules to discuss the origins of the Initiative, how it applies restaurant principles to philanthropy, what its latest relief efforts are, and how listeners (this means you) can help.
Learn more and contribute to the LEE Initiative via their website.
Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, and more.
Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.
We'd love if you followed us on Instagram.
For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.
Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!