“Everybody wants a hot meal right now.”
Chef Taylor Montgomery has spent the past week cooking in Western NC, often using grills or ovens connected to generators in kitchens without power.
“We were hearing people say, ‘We know the World Central Kitchen is here, but some of us can’t get there,’” he tells us. “We got to thinking after that, we need to be mobile.”
This summer, Montgomery announced he was leaving Urban Wren, where he worked since the Downtown Greenville restaurant opened in 2020. He was shifting his focus to the farm he shares with his wife, Fran. Montgomery Sky Farm — located in Leicester, NC (~1.5 hours from Greenville) — was damaged in Helene.
“We watched our farm flood. We lost all of our produce. This is the reality we think about when we drive home at night,” Fran said. “We can sit at home and wallow, or we can put our traits and our skills into trying to help people.”
The Montgomerys launched the Appalachia Restore and Rescue program through their 501c3 and are raising money to continue their mission of cooking for communities in need in the aftermath of Helene. They’ve served meals in Burnsville, Bakersville, Black Mountain, and Swannanoa, and plan to continue as long as they are able to.
They tell us they couldn’t do it without support from the Greenville community and local chefs, including Chef Haydn Shaak of Restaurant 17 who provided supplies.
“Everybody’s asking for donations. It’s a hard time for that, and donations are the reason we’ve been able to do this all week,” Fran said. “At the same time, word of mouth is huge... If you can’t spare a dollar, share the post. You never know who in your network you may touch that may know somebody, and voices are such a powerful thing right now.”
