[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12199-12200]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               END HUNGER NOW #19--CHEFS FIGHTING HUNGER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, for the 19th time this year, I rise to 
talk about my effort to End Hunger Now. Nearly every week this year, 
I've stood on this floor and talked about hunger in America and how we 
can End Hunger Now.
  Today, I want to talk about a group of people who are fighting hunger 
around this country. At first, they may seem like an unlikely group of 
antihunger advocates; but look deeper, and it's easy to see how their 
connection to good, healthy food makes them natural allies in our 
effort to End Hunger Now.
  Mr. Speaker, I'm talking about America's chefs, the culinary artists 
who cook for all of us, whether we're eating at a neighborhood 
restaurant or fine dining establishments. America's chefs have 
recognized that hunger and obesity are problems in America, and they 
know how important access to healthy food is for proper development no 
matter what age a hungry or malnourished person is.
  Chefs across this country, including White House Chef Sam Kass, have 
rallied behind First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move Campaign, and 
especially the healthy eating component of her campaign. They 
understand that healthy food is critical for healthy bodies and minds. 
But what's less well known is that these same chefs have also picked up 
the mantle of hunger in America. They realize that hunger and obesity 
are the opposite sides of the same coin--that it's possible to be 
hungry and obese simply because you lack money to buy healthy foods; 
and, in many cases, healthier options, including fresh fruits and 
vegetables, simply aren't available.

[[Page 12200]]

  That's why these chefs have been working on eliminating food deserts, 
those areas, both urban and rural, where there isn't access to low-
cost, healthy, and nutritious foods. And they've been working with food 
banks and other antihunger organizations on ways to provide food to 
poor and needy Americans. This includes vigorously defending SNAP and 
the child nutrition programs.
  One of the great leaders on hunger from the culinary industry is Tom 
Colicchio, someone I'm proud to call a friend and ally. Tom wears 
several hats: he's a successful restauranteur with restaurants across 
this country from Los Angeles to New York, and he's a television 
celebrity with his role as judge on ``Top Chef''; but most recently, 
and more importantly to millions of Americans who may never have the 
opportunity to eat at one of his restaurants, Tom is an advocate for 
the hungry and for those who are trying to improve their lives.
  He was a vocal supporter of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act 
that increased funding for school meals in order to improve the 
nutritional quality of food served at schools. But he's also a producer 
of the documentary ``A Place at the Table,'' a beautifully filmed, 
heart-wrenching movie about hunger in America. His role in our fight to 
End Hunger Now cannot be understated, and his efforts are needed and 
appreciated.
  Then there is my dear friend, Chef Jose Andres, who brings a passion 
and a commitment to ending hunger. He has dedicated himself to raising 
awareness, challenging policymakers, and giving back to the community 
in ways, both large and small, that have really made a difference to 
ending hunger in America and around the world.
  And he's not alone. Chefs like Mark Murray, Rachael Ray, Bryan 
Voltaggio, and Charlie Palmer, just to name a few, all lend their 
names, their restaurants, and themselves to the fight to End Hunger 
Now. Working through antihunger organizations like Share Our Strength, 
founded and run by my good friend Billy Shore, these chefs are reducing 
hunger in so many different and unique ways.
  But it's not just the famous celebrity chefs who are helping. Share 
Our Strength has a program called Cooking Matters, where chefs teach 
low-income families healthier ways to cook food. Together with their 
Shopping Matters program, where these same families can learn how to 
navigate their local markets to purchase the healthiest food they can 
afford, these programs are fighting hunger at local levels. And the 
chefs involved, from Arkansas to Colorado to Massachusetts, are using 
their expertise to teach these families the healthiest ways to cook 
food.
  Chefs are just one of the nontraditional groups that are out in the 
real world fighting hunger. They are leading by example. And their 
actions need to be highlighted not just on the House floor, but at the 
White House, at a White House conference on food and nutrition. Chefs 
should absolutely be part of such a conference where they can talk 
about their efforts and ways they can help low-income families improve 
their cooking and eating habits.
  These chefs and the organizations they partner with are a key part of 
our fight to End Hunger Now. I commend them for their dedication, and I 
look forward to working with them in this effort.

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