How the LEE Initiative is Feeding Americans and an Industry in Crisis

Lindsey Ofcacek is by all counts a visionary. Alongside chef Edward Lee ("Mind of a Chef," 610 Magnolia), the Kentucky-based team founded the LEE Initiative, a nonprofit geared towards fostering diversity and opportunities for women in the restaurant world.  

At the onset of the COVID crisis, LEE's mission quickly pivoted to serving nearly 150,000 meals to unemployed restaurant workers nationwide. Now, LEE is in phase two, and in tandem with Markers Mark, they're granting cash infusions and zero interest loans to small farmers and purveyors to prop up what  Ofcacek envisions as a new model for the industry. And she's doing it all as a mother homeschooling a child, no less!

Lindsey lends tips on how to leverage partnerships with ethically focussed brands in order to get funding for social initiatives — a useful strategy not just for restaurant owners, but for any of us entrepreneurs out there. We also discussed why we could potentially measure success in impact and equity in addition to profit, and the simple joy of what she calls “breakfast wine.”

Follow along @kristasimmons @forkintheroadmedia for more.