How Bill Bracken, of Bracken’s Kitchen, feeds the hungry and stays full
BY SARAH MOSQUEDA STAFF WRITER
NOV. 17, 2021 2:35 PM PT
Bill Bracken, founder and culinary director at Bracken’s Kitchen, always felt called to feed people. But after spending nearly 25 years cooking in posh five-star hotels, he found himself interested in feeding a different crowd.
“In 2008 our economy really tanked, and I watched a lot of really good people lose their jobs,” recalls Bracken. “I saw them struggle to put a meal on the table.”
Then in 2011, he found himself unemployed.
“The only thing I knew how to do was cook, so I knew I wasn’t going to open up a food pantry or food bank,” said Bracken.
He liked the idea of a restaurant that would open to the food insecure on certain days of the week, but he knew securing a location for such an ambitious project would be difficult. It also would be a challenge for those who needed the services to find them. Bracken looked for a way to bring the food to the people.
“We landed on the idea of a food truck,” Bracken said.
Comments