Joey’s Food Fight has traveled to Casa Hogar Esperanza Para Ti orphanage in Queretaro, Mexico to spread its mission to empower orphans worldwide with culinary skills. Watch Chef Joey share gourmet food, smiles, and laughs in the latest video on Joey’s Food Fight’s YouTube channel!
Mexico’s population contains an alarming number of orphans, partly because of widespread issues like poverty, violence, and substance abuse, leading to family breakups and children being orphaned or abandoned. Chicago Chef Joey Morelli of the non-profit Joey’s Food Fight, which hopes to fight hunger and poverty among orphans worldwide by teaching valuable culinary and other life skills, wants to do his part to support and uplift Mexico’s orphan population.
The organization’s YouTube comedy food channel documents Chef Joey’s recent visit to the Casa Hogar Esperanza Para Ti orphanage in Queretaro, Mexico to support this mission. Check out the new video here.
At Casa Hogar Esperanza Para Ti, Chef Morelli furthered the mission of Joey’s Food Fight by challenging himself to create 20 new menus and recipes and to bring new equipment to the orphanage’s kitchen. He also sought to support the establishment’s supportive, family-like environment by bringing some organization to the kitchen, teaching the children and staff new skills and habits to keep the space clean and efficient.
Here's how Chef Morelli describes his work at Casa Hogar:
“It’s about more than just cooking for a week; it’s about lasting skills and habits. We're breaking old habits and bringing in new recipes to help orphaned children thrive. From fresh pasta to roasted veggies, it's all about cooking with heart.”
During his week-long visit, Chef Morelli engaged in a labor of love with the children and staff to stretch the orphanage’s menu past its usual fare of chicken and tortillas. Chef Morelli cooked classic comfort foods like Italian-style pasta with roasted vegetables, slow-cooked pulled pork, and chicken and tortilla soup, as well as well-known Mexican staples like tortas and flavorful marinated shrimp, to name just a few of the new dishes.
The orphanage is home to 32 children aged one to 19 years old, many of whom come from at-risk families. Unlike most other Mexican orphanages, where the staff act primarily as caregivers, the staff of Casa Hogar live with the children as surrogate parents and teach them how to read and write. Joey’s Food Fight hopes to expand these life skills by teaching safe, sanitary cooking.
Go here to learn more about Joey’s Food Fight.
After spending many years in the restaurant industry, Chef Morelli decided to follow his true calling to make a difference in the lives of at-risk children. He founded Joey’s Food Fight to empower children worldwide with valuable culinary skills. He is also a board member for Stand Up for Kids Chicago, providing food to teen shelters three times a week.
Describing Joey's Food Fight's mission, Chef Morelli says:
“I believe in leading by example, and that's why I strive to create a better future for children everywhere. My goal is to visit a different orphanage in a different country each year, empowering these kids to continue cooking and supporting them throughout their journey.”
If you want to help make a difference in the lives of children in need - and learn some new culinary skills and share some laughs while you're at it - then you'll definitely want to check out the Joey's Food Fight YouTube channel!
Click here to learn more about Joey's Food Fight and view Chef Morelli's latest antics!
