DAN’S PAPERS
danshamptons.com
January 11, 2013 Page 25
Local Chef Marco Barrila Helping Those in Need
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s the holiday season becomes more of a memory and true winter settles in, things become a bit quieter in the Hamptons. With the “season of giving” behind us, it is easy to forget that there are many people who could use a bit of help year-round, and in the wake of Superstorm Sandy the numbers of those in need and displaced has grown. One local chef is tackling the problem on a day-to-day basis. Tucked away in the corner of the Hamlet Green next to the Hampton Bays movie theater is a small restaurant, Frutta di Mare, owned and operated by Chef Marco Barrila and his fiancée, Sheila Minkel. Frutti di Mare is also the hub kitchen of Barrila’s renowned Insatiable EATs catering company, but as the home base for his Frugal Food Project it is as vital for serving the community as it is known for serving Mediterranean fare. Born in Messina, Italy, Barrila first learned to cook in his grandmother’s trattoria. At 24 he moved to America to become a chef in
for the people throwing the party, continues. “The community is not but you rarely really see where the all rich, and we need to help each aid goes or hear from the people other. Together we can achieve a who are helped directly. He wants lot.” to see the food and donations go At Frutti di Mare, they practice directly in the hands of the needy, what they preach on a hyperlocal no middlemen. level. At the end of the day, local His approach to giving back is homeless and families in need functional, door-to-door, neighborcome in and are given dinner and helping-neighbor, community- Marco Barrila & Sheila Minkel food to take home out of what based work. “We have to look at is leftover from that day’s service. the little stuff,” Barrila says. “We always look at Barrila says they feed 10 to 15 families a week, the big stuff. Look at your neighborhood—your but sometimes that number jumps to fifty. neighbor may need help. After Superstorm Sandy, the need was much “We are fishermen, we are all workers in greater. Citizens 4 Humanity has become the Hampton Bays, regular people,” Barrila first response for the Red (Cont’d on next page) Courtesy Chef Marco Bariila
by alex goetzfried
Long Island children are hungry and the need is critical. Even a small gift can make a large difference to a hungry family.
Courtesy Chef Marco Barrila
Now, more than ever, your fellow Long Islanders are in need of help from their neighbors. Lost jobs, closed businesses, down-sizing, foreclosures... all have led to more people, adults and children, with empty plates on their tables.
Chef Marco Barilla preparing pasta for charity
Manhattan, starting as head chef at Sfuzzi and eventually moving on to the high-profile Fiorello’s at Lincoln Center, where in 1999 he landed on a list with the likes of Daniel Boulud and Marcus Samuelsson as one of New York’s Top 40 chefs. After a holiday trip to the Hamptons, Barrila fell in love with the East End, and its fresh, local ingredients reminded him of his native Messina. He moved east, and with Minkel opened Insatiable EATS in 2008, then started the Frugal Food Project in 2009, working with Citizens 4 Humanity (which his fiancé’s sister started), a national organization that applies the think-globally-act-locally philosophy, to help fight hunger in the area. Barrila feels the best way to help hungry people is to give them food. And while working as a private chef for the mega-rich in the Hamptons, he had a revelation. A client would tell Barrila to get 20 lobsters for a dinner party but would only need five. The amount of food waste bothered the chef but he realized something—if he could donate even 10 or 20% of the waste, he could help feed people in need. Big flashy charity dinners, Barrila says, are often expensive and usually a pat on the back
Your donation, even as little as $10, can feed a hungry child for a week. More than 95 cents out of every dollar contributed to Island Harvest goes directly to Long Island’s hungry, more contributions are needed to keep up with the demand.
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To Help
TEXT to Donate: Type HUNGER RELIEF to 266266 Pledge your support by visiting: www.islandharvest.org/donate. Mail your gift to: Island Harvest, 199 Second Street, Mineola, NY 11501. Call: (516) 294-8528 to make a donation.
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