Welcome back, readers, to the blog that exists to highlight the local nonprofit! Today we are deviating a little bit from our usual mission, as this post highlights a local small business instead of a local nonprofit. This small business is engaged in a timely, special mission right now — to feed our frontline healthcare workers for free as they battle COVID-19 on our behalf! We at The Village Visionary feel that this lovely endeavor is so important…and they could really use your help. Keep reading to learn the all about it!

Tell us who you are, and what Simply Fresh is.

My name is Blake Duplass. I’m the head chef and owner of the Simply Fresh Gourmet Food Truck. The easiest way that I like to describe it to people is as a California-inspired deli on wheels. We’re a gourmet deli that moves from location to location every single day — or at least we used to, back in the old world, i.e. one month ago. Now we are delivery only. We’re still making the same gourmet sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads, but now it’s deliver only through various companies we’ve partnered with, like UberEats and GrubHub.

Head Chef and business owner, Blake Duplass, stands with his food truck at a farmer’s market.

Tell us about your journey with COVID-19.

It’s been a wild ride. It feels like it’s been a long time, but it’s really only been about a month. It feels like every minute of every day we get more news about it, and for the most part, it’s bad news. Less and less people should be going to office buildings; breweries are closed, festivals are canceled, and those were the three main things that we were catering to. We were actually supposed to be catering a wedding tomorrow, which obviously is not happening. I saw very quickly how fast the world was changing. I thought to myself, “We’ve got to change with it, or [be] forced to stay behind.” So, we adapted the business model to where we’re only doing deliveries now. We had a little bit of a head start compared to other companies because we already had an UberEats and GrubHub account. [When] our food truck would go from location to location, we’d turn our deliveries on and drivers would come pick up food and deliver it to whichever neighborhood we were in that day. So, the transition for us was maybe a little bit easier than it would be for others, because we were already set up on those systems. But 90% of our business, which was office buildings and breweries, it’s all gone now. We’re left with just the deliveries now.

Does that scare you?

Yes, it does. The public sentiment is [that] everyone’s a little scared, and it’s okay to say that. It’s okay to tell yourself that, and I think it’s important for us to talk to each other about it. There’s just so much uncertainty. I think that’s maybe the scariest part. There’s no precedent for this, there’s no textbook we can open to learn about what’s happening now. There [are] things we can read about that we can draw parallels to, like the Spanish Flu or other coronaviruses, but nothing has been like this. So, we really don’t know what’s going to happen or what we’re supposed to do.

Everyone is looking for answers, and I really think it’s up to leaders around the world – whether you’re a business owner, or just someone that people look up to – it’s up to those people to lead by example, and also give the message that we should all stay safe and stay home as much as possible. Which is why we pretty much immediately switched to delivery only. People still need to eat good food, people still want good quality food, it’s just [that] the way they’re eating has changed. So, we had to essentially change with it.

Blake cooks for a crowd (before the COVID-19 outbreak) at a party.

What gave you the idea to cook for healthcare workers?

It started because of a friend of mine. He wanted to say thank you to a group of doctors and nurses that delivered his twins. They [he and his wife] wanted to say thank you Sharp Mary Birch, which is where they had twins about a year ago. He said, “Hey, I want to pay for 20 sandwiches…can you deliver [them]?” And I was like, “Of course! That’s very generous of you. In fact, I’ll match that and I’ll make it 40, and SimplyFresh will donate the other 20 meals.” Because there are so many people – nurses, doctors, EMTs — that are literally putting their lives on the line to protect all of us…it was kind of like an “aha” moment. This is a great way to show our support for what they’re doing, and also, for us to make food. With offices and breweries and events canceling and closing, I was left wondering what we were going to do. What was our purpose going to be?

When I was driving up [to the hospital], I second-guessed everything. What if the charge nurse says, “Where’s this food from? Who are you? We can’t accept this. We don’t know who you’ve been in contact with.” All these questions came into my mind, but the exact opposite thing happened. As soon as I showed up, I said, “These are donations. A friend and myself, we wanted to say thank you.” They were so ecstatic, and so happy. You can’t see the smile through the masks, but at the same time – you kind of can, you know? I could tell how happy, how appreciative they were, and it brought a huge smile to myself. That was a moment where I was like, “Wow, that was amazing. That felt really great.” And I could tell they really appreciated it.

I thought, (a few days later), “Why don’t I open this up to see if there are any customers of ours that are stuck at home, questioning, wondering what they can do to help and make a difference?” With all this negativity, we hear people want to make a positive difference, now more than ever. The amount of donations we got have sparked this movement where this will be our fourth week in a row now of feeding over 100 doctors, nurses, and EMTs. This weekend we will be at the 400 mark of hospital employees. It’s our way of showing the love and appreciation.

How do you choose which hospital to go to?

We’ve hit a lot of them. I started with the ones that are closest to central San Diego. UCSD in Hillcrest as well as the one in La Jolla, UCSD Thornton. Then we went to Scripps Mercy, Scripps Memorial…we actually went back to Sharp, a second time. We went to Mary Birch and then Rady Children’s Hospital. We’ve done some clinics as well. To answer your question, social media is where we get most of our leads. People have tagged either a nurse or a doctor, and then they respond back and say, “Hey, we’re at Scripps Green, and we have a bunch of people that would love to get some food. Can we get on the list?” Absolutely…they get added. So, now we’re going to Scripps Green, which is in Torrey Pines, this Sunday, as well as a respiratory therapy clinic. So, it’s not just hospitals. If anyone is providing healthcare support to people in San Diego, we want to be able to give back to them.

That’s so awesome!

It’s really been such a powerful experience. We’ve had over 50 different people donate, and we’re at a little over $3,000 in donations. Especially at a time when people are losing jobs left and right, people are uncertain of the future…usually this is a time where you don’t see people wanting to spend money. But because it’s to show appreciation for people who live and die to support us — it’s been amazing to be a part of, to see people really want to give back and say thank you.

How long do you intend to keep going?

It’s really dependent on how much support we get. I would love to keep doing this; there is no end date for me. I would love to keep on going. We do have enough to go to this Sunday. On Sundays, we close so [that] I can really just focus on the donations. I decided, let’s just make Sunday healthcare day. I coined it, “Operation Donation.” It’s 100% dedicated to feeding the hospital workforce. So, I would love to keep it going, but as of right now, this Sunday could be our last. I almost don’t want to say that — but this Sunday, we will have exhausted all of the funds.

How do you think this experience will change how you operate going forward, post-COVID-19?

That’s a great question. To be honest, I don’t really know. One thing that it has taught me is that humans do care about other humans. There’s always going to problems, there’s always going to be issues – hopefully never like this again, but there will be future health crises or future issues in general that arise. This does give me some solace in knowing that people do want to support each other, so, no matter what comes about, people do have each other’s backs. People just need to know about it. That’s what’s been great about the power of Instagram. Half of the people who have donated, they’re not customers of ours, and half of them don’t even live in San Diego. It does show me that we can rise to any occasion, and we can meet any challenge, regardless of what it is.

Does it feel different when you’re cooking for Operation Donation?

It does. It feels great to be able to give back to these people, for a few reasons. One of the biggest reasons that I may not have touched on yet is [that] it’s all a surprise. Everything we’re cooking — the people who are going to be eating it within minutes of us finishing cooking, they don’t even know yet. The nurses come out, they grab the food, and they’re so blown away — they had no idea it was happening. We don’t call and them and say, “Hey, we’re coming.” We just show up. And also, it gives us a little more freedom in the kitchen. Normally, we’re cooking sandwiches and making wraps and soups and salads. For Operation Donation, we switch it up. This last week, we did a chargrilled chicken with a homemade teriyaki glaze, basmati rice, furikake sesame seaweed and steamed matchstick carrots, and it was so great! And it looked great, and it was different than what we normally do. It’s really fun and very heartwarming at the same time.

How can people donate?

On our Instagram page, @simplyfreshsd, there’s a link to our website, which is through Square. It’s basically a hospital care package, what people are able to contribute. Every $10 feeds two hospital frontline workers, because we’re matching every donation as well. We would love to keep it going. I’d love to do this for at least another month, if possible. It’s just going to be up to the people.

And who are the people? We are! You and me! If you’re willing and able, consider donating to this splendid effort to support and appreciate those who are defending us against this virus that has brought the world to a sudden halt. And please, share this story so that others have the opportunity to support as well! Thank you for reading!

If you like the images accompanying this story and would like to explore how visual storytelling could help your organization share the heart of its mission, please visit my website, www.soulvoyagerstudios.com, or send me an email at soulvoyagerstudios@gmail.com. To receive each blog post in your inbox when it is posted, as well as regular content regarding visual storytelling and inspiring ways to make a difference in this world, subscribe to my newsletter below!

Nourishing Our Healthcare Heroes - with SimplyFresh