T.O. restaurant offers gourmet chow to healthcare workers battling COVID-19

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If you’ve got to pull a long shift at the hospital in the middle of a pandemic, why not eat gourmet?

Workers at St. Mike’s hospital in the Toronto’s downtown core were treated to some fancy chow on Thursday courtesy of Chef Michael Hunter from popular posh nosh joint Antler.

Hunter has been helping other chefs feed hospital workers for the last week or so and has taken up the cause himself. He says some restaurants wanted to empty out their fridges and freezers after they were forced to close. There was plenty of food to be cooked.

Now, he’s using these luncheon exercises as a way to deal with being cooped up during the COVID-19 crisis.

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“For me it was just so great to get out of the house, get back in the kitchen and help these hospital workers,” Hunter said.

So on Thursday he delivered 70 meals to healthcare workers at St. Mike’s. Previously meals have been delivered to St. Joe’s, Sick Kids and Mt. Sinai.

Hunter says some hospitals will accept the deliveries for their workers, others won’t, but the staff are always happy to be on the receiving end of the feast.

Thursday’s meal consisted of Ricotta Cavatelli with deer meat in the sauce, Antler is famous for serving deer, bison and other farmed game meats. Nurses, doctors and techs were also treated to a salad with a sumac vinaigrette and sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel and whipped cream.

Not a bad treat.

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Mufid Alshalabi is a registered respiratory therapist at St. Mike’s who helped arrange the delivery to his department.

“Everybody is working hard and I think they deserve a good meal,” Alshalabi said.

“In situations like this, it’s really nice to know that the community is supporting the healthcare workers. It’s really nice for a local restaurant like this to support us.”

Alshalabi and a couple of co-workers helped unload the meals from Hunter’s pickup truck onto trolleys to be delivered.

“We’re a country that sticks together,” Alshalabi said.

Chef Hunter has set up a Go Fund Me page where people can donate to help pay for the cost of feeding hospital workers.

Hunter’s own restaurant was shut down on March 16 and he was forced to lay off his entire staff. This weekend Antler will attempt to reopen for a limited time to offer takeout and meal kits.

“We will offer fully prepared and semi-prepared meals,” Hunter said. “That means you grill your steak at home but the sides are cooked and ready to heat up.”

Customers will be able to order their meals online and choose a pick-up time to grab their meals to go at the door.

Food deliveries to health workers will resume Tuesday. Interested departments can reach out to Chef Hunter via social media.

blilley@postmedia.com