This year, Food & Friends was delighted to have Emmanuel Neal with us for a semester for an externship through the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). We sat down with Emmanuel at the close of his educational experience with Food & Friends to get his thoughts on Food Is Medicine, the role of chefs in society, and what he shared in common with Executive Chef Rasheed Abdurrahman, a CIA alum. Rasheed joined at the end of the interview to celebrate Emmanuel at the close of his externship.
Tell us about yourself, where you are from, and the externship program you are doing through the Culinary Insitute of America (CIA).
My name is Emmanuel Neal. I spent my high school years in California, but I also like to claim Brooklyn, New York as my place of origin, because I spent eight years living there with my mother. So, I am an east-coast, west-coast kid.
Currently, I am attending the Culinary Institute of America – the CIA – up in Hyde Park, NY, near Poughkeepsie, and that is why I am here at Food & Friends because every student completes an externship as part of the program. It is a full semester, where you work in a restaurant, culinary business, or similar establishment anywhere in the world. I chose Food & Friends.
What made you choose Food & Friends?
I admire the Food & Friends mission and the unique way they design, prepare, and deliver food for people with medical issues. The idea of medically tailored meals and the organization’s drive are both important to me. This work is something I would like to pursue in the future as well.
What did you learn about medically tailored meals while you were here, and how did your experience differ from your overall culinary training at the CIA?
There were a lot of differences. At the CIA, there is a lot of focus on classical preparations and fine-dining techniques. There is some focus on high-volume production and community outreach, but not as much as what goes on at Food & Friends.
I learned so much. The mission is what came through the most, and all the aspects of how the community comes together, and the things you need to factor in, like funding. The volunteers are also a massive aspect of the operations.
Chefs are being recognized more in the mainstream for the significant role they play as community leaders. What are some of the ways you see chefs making a substantial difference in society?
Chefs set the example for how to prepare food, and how to balance nutrition. There is more of a culture now of celebrity chefs doing amazing things. One obvious example is what Jose Andres is doing with World Central Kitchen. There are so many chefs giving back and helping people who do not always have the best access to food and proper nutrition.
I respect that and chefs like that are who we should all aspire to be. They are leading and giving back to the community. As chefs, we all have a duty to find the best ways we can to directly nourish people because that is what food is all about.
We can celebrate all the amazing things people do in the fine-dining community, but it is all about making people happy and making sure we all nurtured on this planet.
You were here during a record year at Food & Friends where we prepared, packaged, and home-delivered 1.9 million medically tailored meals to neighbors with life-challenging illnesses. What can you say about what kept you motivated and dedicated?
I love what I am doing. If you love your work, you will excel. Knowing that we were giving back to the community kept me motivated. Even though I must wake up at 5:30 every day and hop on the bus sometimes in freezing weather, the reward is in doing what I love and knowing I am making a difference. It is a lot of work. Staff and volunteers were doing 6,000 medically tailored meals a day, all of the prep and portioning, but it was worth all of the effort to see the impact we had.
Executive Chef Rasheed Abdurrahman is also a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. What commonalities did you share in your experience with the CIA? What did it mean to work with a fellow graduate who has ascended to a leadership position like this?
Rasheed is a great chef. It has been wonderful working with him and reporting to him. It was amazing to see the CIA training applied in real-time and in real life. He is a role model because I got to see how I could be in the future if I continue my training.
One of the things that represented the CIA was his emphasis on food safety and exacting standards, drilled into us in our training. As a leader, Rasheed is very on top of things and detail-oriented, he is thorough and always makes sure his kitchen is running smoothly, and functioning to the Food & Friends standards.
What is one dish that stood out to you?
I have to say the Food & Friends Chicken Florentine because it is one of my favorite dishes, and fun to prepare. You have this delicious stew of chicken, spinach, cream, and parmesan. But I would also say the new Harvest Bowl and Sunshine Bowl that the Food & Friends dietitians and chefs recently designed also really stand out.
They bring diverse blends of grains, fruits, and vegetables. They are tasty and fun to make because of all the different ingredients. You are assembling something and getting these perfect ratios. They really have the CIA touch in that way. Then there is this nutrition and health aspect that comes together to make dishes that are quite beautiful.
Any concluding thoughts to share with our readers?
If you care at all about giving back to the community, you should check out Food & Friends. If you are not close enough to volunteer, educate yourself. They are providing so much to our neighbors across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
Executive Chef Rasheed Abdurrahman
How did this externship come to be, and how did we become so fortunate to have Emmanuel with us for a semester?
I am a graduate of CIA, so I know about their externship. I contacted them and asked if we could host an extern, and they said yes. We had to apply and commit to covering all the bases for their training. Then it is up to the student to apply.
So, what was your first impression of Emmanuel when he showed up for his first day?
One thing about the culinary field is, you never really know what kind of chef you are going to get until they show up and start working. My first impression of Emmanuel is that he fits in very nicely. He knew when to take the lead, and he knew when to fall back and take direction.
Emmanuel is just 19, and that is hard to do if you have never worked with an existing team and are unfamiliar with the space. So, for him to be able to do what he did at his age is remarkable. I knew we had something special when I saw how quickly he adjusted.
Can you talk about his work ethic here over these past few months?
One thing my Associate Executive Chef Trevor Mullings pointed out to me is that Emmanuel was not on his phone much like a lot of young people these days. Every day, he was here, fully present, and working. I noticed it myself. That is commendable.
We also noticed that he takes direction very well. He thinks forward and can work both with a group and independently. He used to work on a farm and in that setting, he worked with a lot of people. I could see that aspect of his learning experience in what he brought to Food & Friends.
Emmanuel credited you as someone he looks up to as an exemplary role model and leader. Is there anything about the CIA that instills that kind of responsibility in their students to exemplify leadership?
Everyone has a unique experience, but my CIA experience came when I was older. I paid for all the tuition, books, and uniforms myself, so I knew I had to make the most of it.
The CIA is a very comprehensive school. They do not just teach you to be a chef but to have a deeper appreciation of food. They show you how to make the world better. Food has so many different meanings. You can build armies, nourish a country, and you can make people feel better. That is what Food & Friends does. The CIA teaches you the fundamentals of cooking and it is a little like being in the military, the training is very thorough and emphasizes the bigger picture.
Emmanuel has expressed interest in working in the Food Is Medicine space in the future. Could you see a position for him here down the road?
Of course! If he were to come back, we would have garnered even more experience. We would love to have him here if a position becomes available after he graduates.
Emmanuel talked about how he saw the CIA influence on your dishes like the Chicken Florentine, and the new Harvest and Sunshine Bowls. Can you talk about how your training at these elite levels shows up in our meals?
What we do is simple in some ways, and complicated in others. There are many layers to creating a successful medically tailored meal. The CIA teaches you not to overcomplicate. Wherever you go in the world, everyone cooks the same. You are either braising, boiling, steaming, sautéing, or frying.
The difference comes from the cultural factors and the ingredients a person has on-hand. If I happen to be in Vietnam, I will have things like lemongrass, fresh shrimp, and abundant herbs. If I walk through Iowa, I will have corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and beef. But good cooking techniques are the same in both places. It is how you approach it, and what you have available that influences the dishes – but it is also the chef’s imagination.
This year 93% of the clients served by Food & Friends said they would recommend the meals and the service to friends and family. How does that kind of feedback from clients make you feel?
You know, I was incredibly happy to hear that. It means a lot to my team to know the work we do is appreciated. But we are just one part of this cause. We are one spoke in this amazing wheel here. What makes Food & Friends special, and what makes our meals so special is all the work people do in addition to the kitchen.
From the delivery drivers, volunteers, client services team, and dietitians. We all do this excellent work in conjunction. In the kitchen, we make things that promote health and are tasty for the clients. But we all come together to create the whole experience.
It is not just the chefs, but when we hear that feedback, we chefs really do appreciate it!
Is there anything you would like to add about Emmanuel or any concluding thoughts for our readers?
If you had a chance to work with him, you would already know what an awesome guy he is. I feel blessed that we had the opportunity to host someone from a culinary school that I love. When I retire, I hope he is here taking over my job. You know, you might be reading a story about our next Executive Chef!