Celebrity chef says military lesson is key to keeping families together
Some of the most important conversations do not begin in an office or a classroom — they begin around the dinner table, celebrity chef Robert Irvine said."Food is hope, is love, is community, communication and caring," Irvine told Fox News Digital in an interview from his home in Florida."When we sit across from the table with each other, we can see what's going on."That belief is behind Fuel to Serve, a new five-year partnership between the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) and the Robert Irvine Foundation, designed to use food and shared meals as a starting point for supporting military families.DOCTORS IN TRAINING LEARN COOKING SKILLS TO HELP PATIENTS AMID AMERICA'S CHRONIC DISEASE CRISISThe initiative, announced at the end of September, will begin with pilots at Fort Bragg and in the Washington, D.C., region. It aims to connect service members and their families with cooking and nutritional education, financial resources, mental health support, benefits navigation and community programs.Celebrity chef Robert Irvine says shared meals can help families build connection and community.
(Robert Irvine Foundation)Irvine, founder and chairman of the Robert Irvine Foundation, said the partnership expands his longtime effort to improve military food systems and help families build practical skills at home.The partnership is allowing Irvine to go "wider and broader and deeper," he said."I think we have the ability to bring people back together again over a family table," he said.'MASTERCHEF' FINALIST SAYS BUSY FAMILIES ARE LOSING SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN HOME-COOKED MEALSIn addition to his longtime work supporting service members, veterans and military families, Irvine is a restaurateur and television personality known for hosting Food Network's "Restaurant: Impossible."Around his family's dinner table, it's "phones down," he said.Irvine’s Fuel to Serve partnership with USAA aims to support military families through food, nutrition education and ot...