{"id":150945,"date":"2026-02-04T19:05:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T19:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/150945\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T19:05:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T19:05:10","slug":"serving-meals-with-meaning-how-a-fort-worth-nonprofit-is-bringing-together-chefs-and-community-to-help-those-in-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/150945\/","title":{"rendered":"Serving Meals With Meaning \u2014 How a Fort Worth Nonprofit Is Bringing Together Chefs and Community to Help Those in Need"},"content":{"rendered":"

After grabbing drinks at Brewed\u2019s bar, over two dozen guests filtered into the Fort Worth restaurant and coffee bar\u2019s private dining room, eagerly awaiting a multi-course meal from Chef Steve Hoogeboom. The room carried a palpable excitement around the evening\u2019s offerings by the 61 Osteria chef de cuisine.<\/p>\n

The bread service \u2014 baked lavash served with whipped lardo and a finely chopped garnish \u2014 was delicious and unfussy. The roasted beet salad followed and delivered a bright, seasonal balance. Served on a generous spread of creamy risotto, the pork belly struck a pleasant balance, neither overly fatty nor aggressively crisp. The crowd favorite that evening was the closer, a white bean miso panna cotta served over a fermented mushroom caramel. Candied peanuts finished the plate with just the right crunch.<\/p>\n

Meals With Meaning\u2019s New Supper Club Series<\/p>\n

The supper club series was recently launched by Kirk Oldham, who founded Meals With Meaning to serve chef-prepared meals to those in need. Throughout the evening, Hoogeboom introduced each plate while Oldham told the crowd about his work collaborating with local chefs to prepare meals for local homeless shelters. The goal of the supper club, Oldham said that evening, is to raise money and awareness for Meals With Meaning, a nonprofit<\/a> that has served over 33,000 meals across Tarrant County.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur vision is to eventually have a warehouse and facility where we can bring food, prepare it, and get it out to the people,\u201d he added. \u201cWe\u2019re very glad you guys are here. This is a very grassroots operation, and we hope to see you again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Meals<\/a>Kirk Oldham (second from left) joins fellow chefs and cooks to bring meals to those in need through his nonprofit. (Courtesy)
\nFrom Fine-Dining Kitchens to Sobriety and Newfound Purpose<\/p>\n

Oldham credits his journey to sobriety with guiding him toward his current charitable mission. After entering the foodservice industry at age 30, he went on to work at Grace, 61 Osteria<\/a>, City Works, The Tipsy Oak, and other local restaurants. Despite his experience in well-regarded restaurants, Oldham prefers the title \u201ccook\u201d over chef. Through much of his adulthood, he struggled with addiction, which he only overcame in recent years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was doing a lot of soul searching,\u201d he tells PaperCity Fort Worth. \u201cI was a cook and had a car, but I was basically homeless. I realized really quickly I needed something better to do with my time. One day, I realized I had access to ingredients, so I decided to make food to donate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t Valentine’s Day Gift Guide<\/p>\n

Pecos Jane Vintage<\/p>\n

APIS<\/p>\n

Rose Gold Ros\u00e9<\/p>\n

Fairmont Austin<\/p>\n

Lake Austin Spa Resort<\/p>\n

Domain Northside<\/p>\n

Joy Gift Shoppe<\/p>\n

Rowan<\/p>\n

Music Lane<\/p>\n

He began by cooking meals and taking them to East Lancaster, where he and a small group fed about 20 people. The moment that stayed with him most was serving a barefoot, nine-months-pregnant woman who sat beside him in the rain to eat. Her gratitude made the experience personal and immediate.<\/p>\n

\"Meals<\/a>The crowd favorite at Sunday\u2019s supper club was the white bean miso panna cotta. (Courtesy)
\nA Growing Mission and Need for Support<\/p>\n

Oldham began collaborating with the chefs he knew to expand his efforts to help people at Arlington Life Shelter<\/a>. Through his monthly work at the Arlington shelter, he realized that many people seeking help were working, housed, but still struggled to put food on the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the great thing about chefs is that they genuinely love to cook,\u201d he says. \u201cOur events allow them to reconnect with the whole reason they wanted to cook in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meals With Meaning recently began partnering with Chef Hao Tran, founder of Hao\u2019s Grocery & Caf\u00e9<\/a>. Each week, the organization distributes free food boxes to families in need at the Near Southside grocery. Tran, who was a guest at the recent supper club, says Kirk is \u201cdeeply committed to feeding as many people as he can, bringing chefs and the community together through his work.\u201d<\/p>\n

With funds from the new supper club series, Oldham hopes to buy a large van to transport food and further support Meals With Meaning\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really want to keep feeding the community,\u201d he says. \u201cThese events help us connect with people who have the heart to give, who love to cook, and who love to hand out food. This is what I know. I\u2019m just a cook at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After grabbing drinks at Brewed\u2019s bar, over two dozen guests filtered into the Fort Worth restaurant and coffee…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":150946,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":{"0":"post-150945","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-fort-worth","9":"tag-fort-worth-headlines","10":"tag-fort-worth-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150945\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}