https://youtu.be/0SzKPt-cyXQ: Video automatically transcribed by Sonix

https://youtu.be/0SzKPt-cyXQ: this 0SzKPt-cyXQ video file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Hello and welcome to business as unusual. I hope that you and your family or well, my name is Megan from greater London properties over the people that are tuning in fresh today. Just to give you a little bit of introduction. These are our daily live chats that we're doing at 11:30 every day, and just mainly to connect local Central, London residents to our companies, organizations and Charities, and different movements.

That are going on and just giving them a platform to expose it a little bit more today. We've got a very special guest Ali coals from Hospitality for Heroes. Who's doing a operational movement. Hi Ali, hi, I'm Megan. Hey do yes, get thank you. And now Hospitality periods for those people that don't know, they launched the campaign a few weeks ago it's a non-profit initiative from Founders within the industry and they help to feed our Frontline.

Workers. Now the best thing is as well. There's also healthy quality meals cooked by skilled chefs and just to top it off. They also use fresh projects from local suppliers, and it's all thanks to donations. So, really helping out with the community, as well as the front line staff, which is is really good. Now at the end of our chats, we are going to be telling you where you can donate as well as how you can get your friends involved. So please do tune in

And state stay on board in order to here where you can donate and the rest though Ali, thank you so much for joining us here today. And it's really great to have you on. It's a really original and inspirational movement that you're doing at the moment. At what made you want to start the organization. So before the sort of covid-19 Crisis, I had a digital marketing agency and many of our clients were in Hospitality sector so almost overnight.

We sort of calls them painted with us and asked us how, what they should probably do next. And the obvious answer would have been to go into doing, deliveries to your local community and that really just got to thinking how can we do this on a much larger scale and also try and solve a much bigger problem that was as the news was talking, all about nurses being leaving their trips late and returning supermarkets at a scare with scarce of food. So this

The idea was really yes, try and bring together with a group of really talented restaurants and rather than giving back to, to their, to their current customers to actually feed the NHS. So, and you mentioned in the intro at the same time, we then we then helping people be suppliers in business. So all of our donations, go specifically to that nurse purchasing fresh produce from them. So it's sort of the idea of

Moved. And then the next sort of problem, or question or challenge was going to be, how do we actually get awareness about this? We're not Damian Lewis or Matt Lucas during the campaign when a hundred gram. So using our digital experience from Levi cold, we we started an Instagram image, which I asked, independent, share more independent chefs and Italy to share a woman present and not make three other chefs to do the same and that since gone on

On to get over a hundred twenty thousand views and we really didn't Chef Adam, handling and market clearing contribute towards campaign, so that's helped us raise just over 30,000 pounds in three weeks. That's amazing. The sudden. So I better nurses are just so grateful as well. Because I remember seeing one of those videos and where the nurse was just in tears because she just couldn't find anything. So it's just really inspiring and how many deliveries

You doing in the moment you find. So it's wrapped up quite quickly in the first in the first week, we did a few hundred last week, we did three thousand and this week we're doing over 8,000 deliveries 211 NHS hospitals and yet indeed certainly the nurses and doctors the feedback. We're getting from them on social media has been sort of inspiring and motivating us to really, keep going and try and keep fundraising going and indeed the the chair

At ease that we're working with the NHS Charities again. A coming back saying that this is fast becoming the highlights of some of the workers week just because of the food will getting. So yeah. 8,000 dishes this week and then hopefully ramping that up next week. That's so good. That's so good because I've seen some of that I've seen some of the pictures actually in the food, looks amazing. I it's these chefs to pulling out some real real showstopper.

As I continued East it through the screen. Yeah. They are they they're getting very creative. We've had some generous donations from Purdue from suppliers, including meat and vegetables. So the beginning of each week, they take a look at what we got and what we call for them through donations. And then they just get super creative. And yeah, they're delivering restaurant quality meals. So, I think it's been quite well received, and we're looking to come and retain that standard to be

Seen as the people who are providing really healthy, good quality food and I think it makes all the difference, something really to look forward to. And how many kitchens do you currently have at the moment? And where are they? Yeah, we've got nine kitchens working with us a moment. So some of the chef's that we've got a top chefs including Sally Abe she's head chef at all weird on which the mission start up. We've got her husband. Matt, who works a restaurant, Gordon Ramsay, and then

Got they're actually working right of the kitchen in Earls Court together, they're providing food for us but also to the homeless and the elderly, we have Carousel restaurants, they're based in marylebone. They've got a thing of volunteers including their head chefs, only Templeton and Matt 30th. We have Enlightenment up in Kings Cross. No I just want to draw things. Yeah and then we got a kitchen in Hackney called karma commands. They're churning out.

As mm dishes, a date Korra, and then N5 in Islington and Rose. Ashby who's a head, chef of spring at Somerset house. I think that's all of them at the moment, but with what we're seeing through Instagram is quite a few chefs and restaurants not just in London, but across the country saying that we would love to help out with this cause. So again, if puns can increase, then we'd like to Branch out of London where I'm sure there's possibly an even bigger than me for

Males. But yeah, we've been overwhelmed by the chefs and restaurants have come forward to volunteer their time and that's absolutely fantastic. It's great. That you've got some such good chefs working alongside you as well, and some really great spaces. How did you launch? How did you start off? Yes, so we launched, we launched with this Instagram campaign, we were friends of ours of Levi, hoses gonna go with Alex head, he's a bit of a food blogger and the very good cook.

She owns a small restaurant and catering company called social Pantry. So she launched the campaign introducing the initiative. And, of course, at that point, we have raised hero and we had no idea, really how far it was going to go. And at that point, I remember thinking, I'll be happy at next week. We can provide 300 or 500 Mills, the NHS, she launched it and through Instagram. She's the first post and she nominated, three friends and then they went on,

My three friends and related to people with, you know, hundreds of thousands of followers including top shelf, but some celebrities and also just the general public at home. So anyone who's watching if you fancy, a challenge will be look at Instagram Channel, which is at Hospitality of Euros. We'd love to see anyone else. Pick it up more, we can spread it. So it's our biggest sort of form of awareness. So, yeah, it's going with gone. Well, we've had quite a bit as well, which has

Unhelpful but that's all really being picked up off the back of the Instagram challenge. That's great. I'm already trying to wrap my brain to try and think of a recipe that I can share to my friends involved. So yeah, I'm thinking of the great chefs that I know in my life in order to nominate them. Just get a variety on there as well. So, yeah, it's really great. And what advice would you give to others? That feel inspired to do the same as you? I would, I think a lot of

With this being very much about moving as quickly as possible. This idea sort of came to my head before lockdown and really at the point at the point of fear of lockdown and the fear of restaurant claridge's. So we had to move really quickly. There is quite a lot of. There are quite a lot of logistics involved including getting into the NHS charity because it's not a case, unfortunately of this making food at home and being able to deliver it to hospitals and say I'd like to do

Oh Nate this. And I'm not allowing that to happen. So I think it's about as with sort of any business for a nipple by guess is about planning and planning with this situation quite quickly and also just getting some awesome people around you with complementary skills who can actually make that happen, be it. You know the logistics company work from when you can help with fundraising the right public influences. But yeah I think I think planning and moving quickly.

Blaming yourself hoping for the best. That's brilliant and do you have? It's obviously when obviously, you can't just donate the the food. Now, to NHS like you said, is that because of, they don't know how it's been prepared and social distancing, and PPE equipment, Etc. So, how are your chefs doing it? Are they they all kind of shit social distancing and what following? Yeah, exactly. So within the kitchens we use,

In some pretty big kitchen and every social distance. So because the restaurant Boat, they are they've moved all the table beside and they're doing much of the prep work where you are. I would usually sit in an appeal. And then, yeah, we've got to provide for with the right PP. Equip equipment, and kit, and then the same again with the logistics and delivery company, and then obviously a lot more cleaning within the restaurants. So, yeah, NHS, why the meals are

Individually wrapped that they are at a certain time in the early days of this will practice. A lot of people were just turning up with, you know, 20 pizzas and dropping them a receptor. And I think at that point, it was actually a lot of food going to waste so Hospitals. Now, set up a rotor and they come to initiatives like us and others out there. So they look new Deliver Us, 300 meals at 6 p.m. every weekday. So, we have our sort of given slots, they know that it's come from a

Commercial kitchen with a high bun rating and that the food is being sourced from dry places. And what hospitals are you providing for? At the moment, just to give a list of my head. We're doing Hammersmith Hospital Charing Cross Mary's Paddington, Royal London whips Cross homerton Hospital UCLA and I know I'm missing five others so I can't remember of them.

That's the other ones are Chelsea. And Westminster is another.

That's that's so good. They just reaching out to so many if you can if it ends up blowing up even more and reaching out to more which I'm sure that it will just, I just know that so many NHS workers are going to be so grateful for it. I definitely want to taste one but I don't deserve one. I'm not just gonna I'm just gonna have a look at the recipes and try and do something at home. I think it'll be great. So is it what you are? You cooking at home at the moment? Are you trying to tell?

Inspiration, you will be able. Yeah, is yes by the telegraph. I should be but her to minor problems one, I can't really cook. My wife is a fantastic cook and to this initiative is taking up some of a lot of hours of my day but I do occasionally get the time to look through some of the videos that have been submitted, but I have to be honest. No, I'm not spending a lot of time with you.

And then was it was it just your selfies? I saw on the, on the website that there's founders of like a few other companies as well. So did you know these people before? Yeah. So I sort of brought those people together that people are not have clients or friends of mine and they are entrepreneurs, I guess who started their own businesses. And like I said, they're sort of all have complementary skills. So we've got a guy who's very good. Sort of in a charity space. We've got a

Social media person. We've got a very technical guy who made sure that all of the payments and security is all secure and and then a good friend of mine called me. Your Works. Came forward and said, look, I've got free time. I'd like to help out with this. So she's sort of high up and experiencing Partnerships and fundraising. So, a lot of people have come forward and not just two guys on the website, but also people getting in touch with the reference to the working. They're saying, I'd love to come and just

Up out and clean dishes and do whatever I can chop vegetables. And I think on suddenly one day, they're probably a total of about 50 people working on this initiative in the kitchens in deliveries. And behind the scenes it's it's been phenomenal. The number of people that come forward to offer their time and you know, none of us making a penny from it but hopefully making a bit of a difference for those NHS workers. Yeah, I think it's just overwhelming. How much everyone wants to help each other at the moment?

There's also great how you've got all of those fantastic people that's around you. That's why I always say of ten surround yourself by ten great people. So yeah, it's really good. Thank you so much for joining us today and just to reiterate guys and on the they've got a website where you can donate you go to hospitality for Heroes.com. It's very clear on the website where you can donate. You can read a little bit more about the initiative itself.

And also, let's get involved on Instagram. Let's get our friends involved. Instagram is at Hospitality for Heroes and there's instructions on the website on how you can do this. So it's basically how you you create a recipe but you share a recipe don't want to kind of create one, there's just under a minute and share it nominate donate, get the movement going and just because we want as much as but many donations as possible to help this keep going because our

Jess, stop. They need this right now and it's like, all he said, it's something that they look forward to, so it would be great for us all to support it. Thank you again. So much Ali for joining us. I'm here. Thank you so much Megan for awesome is. Come on, it's been so wonderful. Speaking to you in hearing about it really inspiring and it's such an original idea and it's fantastic. It's what everybody needs at the moment. So thank you again, and yes. So yeah, don't forget to visit our website donate, I get involved.

Take care guys.