UES Chef To Donate Meals To NYC, NJ First Responders

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An Upper East Side chef is converting his catering business from serving black-tie events to feeding EMTs, nurses and doctors in an effort to support the essential workers risking their health to serve others as the New York City area is hit by an outbreak of coronavirus.

Chef David Burke, who operates David Burke Tavern on East 62nd Street and Lexington Avenue, was forced to close his restaurants when Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered nonessential businesses to shut down on March 20. The limitations placed on restaurants — take out and delivery orders only — allow Burke to keep his kitchens running.

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"Restaurant people don’t like to be defeated," Burke said in a statement. "We have the skill, the determination, and time, all we need now is the money. While the front lines of our brave first responders, healthcare professionals fight the fight — risking their own health and the health of their loved ones — we need to keep our heroes fed. That’s what we do, we feed people."

By keeping kitchens running, Burke is also able to avoid laying off some of his staff members. Limits on nonessential businesses have resulted in massive job losses across New York State. Across the state, the number of people filing for unemployment in the week ending March 28 was 366,403. That's 286,404 more people out of work than the week before, Department of Labor statistics show.

Burke is soliciting donations through Paypal to keep his "feed the heroes" campaign running.

"This is exactly what we need to stay positive to beat this virus; we have to work together to come up with solutions," Burke said in a statement. "Please join us in the fight to keep the frontlines of this epidemic fed, while also helping put some of our employees back to work. Now is the time for us to wear our workload like a badge of honor."

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