New Yorkers looking to escape their sad desk lunch without spending an arm and a leg on a pricey salad are in luck this week.<\/p>\n
Eight celebrity chefs are taking over five Manhattan bodegas, delis and corner stores, serving everything from meatball burritos and butter chicken to Ghanaian peanut stew completely free of charge.<\/p>\n
The event, dubbed \u201cThe Most Legendary Lunch Break,\u201d hosted by Brooklyn-based meal delivery platform CookUnity<\/a>, will feed New Yorkers from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 17th.<\/p>\n Madison Square Deli & Convenience is located at 266 W 23rd St in Chelsea, where celebrity chefs are taking over NYC bodegas. Google<\/p>\n New Yorkers looking to fill their stomachs can stop by any of the five locations: Bari Bodega at 873 Broadway in Flatiron; Madison Square Deli & Convenience at 266 W. 23rd St. in Chelsea; New York Pizza and Cafe at 369 Madison Ave. in Midtown; Sam\u2019s Deli at 275 W. 4th St. in the West Village; or Slice N\u2019 Spice Deli & Grill at 451 Third Ave. in Murray Hill.<\/p>\n Chefs include Rocco DiSpirito, Vikas Khanna, Andrew Rea of \u201cBabish,\u201d<\/a> Einat Admony, and Jos\u00e9 Garces, who will be whipping up their signature dishes on site.<\/p>\n Full CookUnity meals will also be available as packaged cold-to-go, with self-serve microwaves on site for hungry New Yorkers who don\u2019t want to wait until they get back to the office.<\/p>\n Some of the participating all-star chefs who will be handing out free lunch on Thursday.<\/p>\n The event is part of CookUnity\u2019s new \u201cThe World\u2019s Best Chefs, Delivered\u201d campaign, aimed at bringing restaurant-quality meals into a decidedly less formal setting.<\/p>\n For the company, that meant putting chefs behind the counters of one of New York\u2019s most familiar institutions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe people shouldn\u2019t need a reservation or a special occasion to experience food that reflects the craft and distinct point of view of an exceptional chef,\u201d said Michael Baruch, CookUnity\u2019s head of brand marketing.<\/p>\n Chef John DeLucie will be whipping up some of the meals for the lunchtime rush.<\/p>\n For DiSpirito, the bodega setting is personal.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a kid from Queens who grew up going to the corner store \u2014 it\u2019s the most reliable institution in this city,\u201d the celebrity chef said.<\/p>\n He\u2019ll be serving Rocco\u2019s Bronx Bomb Burrito<\/a>, a dish created with Yankees catcher Austin Wells using the same meatballs and tomato sauce DiSpirito said he grew up eating.<\/p>\n \u201cStanding behind that counter, handing out a recipe I created with Austin Wells of the Yankees \u2026 is about as New York as a day gets for me,\u201d DiSpirito said.<\/p>\n He\u2019ll also be serving saffron shrimp risotto.<\/p>\n Chef Einat Admony creating some of her decadent dishes for CookUnity.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, \u201cBabish\u201d creator Andrew Rea is serving spicy chili-garlic noodles and Guinness shepherd\u2019s pie, while Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna will offer paneer makhani and roasted butter chicken.<\/p>\n