Forget McCain-Obama. Vote 'Taste for Life' Nov. 6

November 4, 4:04 PMDenver People ExaminerErnie Tucker

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Chef Jon Emanuel (Photo: Project Angel Heart)

When Barack Obama paid tribute to his late grandmother Toot on Monday, he spoke of the quite heroes who don’t stand in the spotlight. John McCain too has praised ordinary folks -- even those who plumb.

And while this epic presidential campaign has seemed all-consuming and thrust Average Joes into the spotlight, the daily routine of life will go on. That’s where people such as Jon Emanuel, executive chef of Project Angel Heart come in.

Most weeks, he’s concerned about supervising the 4,000 meals his Denver nonprofit produces weekly for some 750 clients who are housebound with life-threatening illnesses. They are referred to the organization by health care providers.

To paraphrase Hillary Clinton, it takes a village to feed a village.

Vendors often keep prices low for bulk meats they sell to Project Angel Heart. Additionally, some of the food they use is donated by the Denver Botanic Gardens or urban gardeners – and the chefs have to adapt recipes to cope.

“If we get a truckload of eggplant donated, well, our clients understand that they’ll have some eggplant dishes on the plates,” the 41-year-old says with a laugh. “Sometimes, even I get tested,” he adds, as when shipments of something odd, like Swiss Chard, come in.

But once a year, he and other staffers trained in the culinary arts get to stretch out a bit as part of “A Taste For Life,” a tasting fundraiser featuring their cookery as well as that of top chefs from around the Denver Metro area, including Elway's, Jax Fish House and others. This year’s event is Thursday, Nov. 6, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Exdo Event Center, 1399 35th Street, Denver. Tickets are $95 apiece.

“We like to show off,” says Emanuel, who trained at California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, and has worked at high end restaurants in Pebble Beach, Palm Springs and even Alaska (but pre-Sarah Palin so presumably, no moose pies). For this splashy event, items such as pork rillette in apple wedges, stuffed calamari with fennel and duck confit dim sum are on the menu.

Clearly Emanuel, who once was the head chef at South Pole Station feeding scientists and staff for the National Science Foundation such morale-boosters as lobster and tenderloin, has his chops. And while he liked his gig in the South Pole with a rich food budget, he left in 2005 after some volunteering here locally led to his hiring at Project Angel Heart. Now more important than individual glory or his professional staff, he notes, is collaborating with some 20 or 30 volunteers who come regularly to the kitchen facilities at 4190 Garfield Street to help make the fare that will be driven by truck to those who rely on it.

So even as he preps for the glamorous spread, Emanuel knows where the quiet milestones lie. This year, for example, Project Angel Heart will deliver more than 400,000 meals to over 1,700 clients living with life-threatening illnesses, some needing modified special diets. And some time next year, the agency formed in 1991 is expected to deliver its 3 millionth meal. It almost certainly won’t be pork rillet. And it might have some Swiss Chard. Regardless, it will feed a deeper hunger.

 “It gives you a good feeling about humanity,” he says.