Two Texas Foundations Team Up in Fort Worth to Bring Emergency Relief and Mental Health Services to Local Restaurant Workers

The Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation (FWFWF) was born out of a desire to give back to the local culinary community. What began as a way to raise funds to train the next generation of restaurant workers, has expanded steadily during its first decade. That desire to give back has now led to a new partnership with Houston’s Southern Smoke Foundation ― bringing emergency relief and access to mental health services to local food and beverage workers in need.

The foundation was founded by Houston-based, and James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Shepherd about seven years ago along with co-founder and executive director Lindsey Brown. It exists to “get money into the hands of folks when they need it most.”

Both Shepherd and Brown were in Fort Worth on Wednesday, June 16 at TX Whiskey Ranch to unveil the new partnership and describe Southern Smoke’s progression and current capabilities.

Shepherd admits that while the name “Southern Smoke” might sound like a barbecue cook-off ― it began as a charity event to support one of his own restaurant workers who was diagnosed with MS. That’s what brought the need for emergency crisis relief home to him personally.

“I was in the restaurant business for about 30 years,” Shepherd says, “And I sold those about two years ago. We thought … we know how to throw a party. Then the city of Houston got involved, adding their support, and the first Southern Smoke Festival was born.”

“The annual festival is our largest fundraiser,” he says. “It’s one day with 73 chefs from around the country, and 4,000 people attend. We’ve granted $1 million in relief funds and mental health services so far this year alone.”

They have added a new wine auction event, as well, and have grown nationwide with the help of many new partnerships.

Who Takes Care of Restaurant Workers?

Chef Chris Shepherd was recently honored for his generous philanthropy at the Family Houston luncheon and his charitable emphasis on mental health.

“We work in a tough industry,” Shepherd admits. “So, who takes care of us? Well, the answer is us.”

Lindsey Brown explains, “We now have case workers who assist in granting emergency relief as well as mental health services. As of yesterday, we now have a mental health outreach in 10 states plus the District of Columbia.”

Food industry workers in need of emergency crisis intervention or mental health services can access it through telehealth appointments ― making it available nationwide. It covers six months (or 20 free sessions) through partnerships with local university-based healthcare partners. Then a sliding scale continues to make care affordable.

“Individual financial emergency support is crucial for workers in an industry who often find themselves without a safety net,” says Russell Kirkpatrick the co-founder of the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival. “We initially started our Emergency Relief Fund program in response to COVID-19 in 2020. Now, nearly four years later, the foundation has realized the need continues for ongoing emergency response and so much more.”

“If you give us money we can probably make it work,” says Kirkpatrick. “But if we give it to Southern Smoke it’s going to do so much more.”

After all, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel ― especially when Southern Smoke is on such a roll in this arena.

Getting The Word Out In Tarrant County

While Southern Smoke has long been providing its services nationwide ― with over 500 applicants so far related to Hurricane Beryl, over 100 applicants related to the recent Ruidoso wildfires, and having funded $345,000 to aid 176 workers in Maui after last year’s catastrophic fire damage ― few food and beverage workers in Fort Worth are aware that this kind of help even exists.

“In Tarrant County, we’ve only granted about $60,000 so far,” Lindsey Brown tells PaperCity Fort Worth. “But that just tells me that awareness is low in this area.”

Southern Smoke has just signed on with the University of North Texas as well to provide mental health services locally.

“Adding that local partner lessens the waitlist, because I don’t want people to wait longer than need be,” Shepherd adds. “Especially if they are in a crisis. I don’t want them to make the wrong choices.”

Thanks to the generosity of the FWFWF supporters and festival-goers the newly forged collaboration will launch this month with an initial $25,000 gift. Those funds will be utilized by Southern Smoke to specifically aid workers in the Fort Worth area. And, the FWFWF plans to expand its participation in the coming years.

The biggest way that local food and beverage owners and employers can get involved is to help get the word out that these funds are available to culinary industry workers needing emergency relief across Tarrant County.

“As a business owner, your first instinct is to pull out your wallet and help, but that sets up an unrealistic expectation,” Shepherd says. “It’s better to direct them to us and let Southern Smoke take you out of the equation. It’s better to empower your employees to take care of themselves.”