Every Friday, Chef Roxanne Wilson goes through the fresh vegetables at the North Valley Caring Services food pantry in North Hills.

She's looking for inspiration for recipes she wants to whip up for the people who come here.  

  • Chefs volunteer their time making different dishes for the community
  • They find inspiration at the North Valley Caring Services food pantry
  • They try to inspire people to try new foods through their culinary creations

“So much good food to choose from today,” said Wilson.

She walks behind a row of volunteers who are loading food into the shopping carts of a few dozen people who are getting food today.

Chef Wilson started coming to the food pantry while in culinary school at LA Mission College. A year and a half ago when she saw all the different food items that were going untouched, she realized there was an opportunity to share her passion for food with the community using items from the pantry.

Wilson teamed up with her classmate from culinary school, Chef Margoth and they came up with the concept for being community chefs.

“We like to introduce them to newer products, try different things, kind of open up if you would, different taste buds versus what many of us are typically raised on eating,” said Wilson.

Wilson and Margoth draw upon their different ethnic backgrounds to make food that will appeal to the North Valley community.

“Sometimes Hispanics, they don’t want to taste new things. But when they try it, they love it,” said Margoth.

Today’s low sodium mango chicken and vegetarian collard green wraps were a big hit.

"I didn't know you could eat collard greens raw," said one woman after biting into a wrap.

“You sure can,”  replied Chef Wilson. 

These community chefs volunteer their time. Their payment and reward every Friday is just having appreciative and healthy neighbors.