When Applause Isn’t Enough; Answering the Call! by Lou Cespedes
Last Sunday, I received a call from my friend Claudia. I’ve known Claudia for over fifteen years. She’s German and she lives here in East Flatbush. Exasperated, she recited a conversation she had with a doctor, a fellow parent of her daughter’s fourth grade class, that works ER at SUNY Downstate and Kings County Hospitals. The doctor told her, “You know they have this ‘clap cause you care’ campaign where everyone is supposed to go out and clap for us at 7pm; Yes, well that’s nice, but it’s not enough. If you really want to help us, what we need is food!” Claudia called me because she knows I’ll help, but honestly, catering is not my expertise. What Claudia wanted to do was feed the ER staff at the hospitals. I paused for a moment and told her I would get back to her.
My next call was to Shelley Worrell, founder of CaribBeing, a Caribbean platform “at the intersection of culture, community, and commerce”. If you’ve met her, you’ll know Shelley is no nonsense, and ALL business. I explained to her what was happening at our community hospitals; employees from our community, mostly Caribbean frontline healthcare workers and support staff were working 12-hour days and barely had time to find food, much less eat. She asked me what I needed. I said, “We need to feed 25 people for the next week and deliver the food at 5pm, before the shifts change.” What happened next was an unbelievable demonstration of business leadership. In less than three hours, CaribBeing had secured five community restaurants and caterers to supply food to frontline emergency staff battling to save the lives of our neighbors from Coronavirus. Shelley called me back with a list of local businesses that answered her call. While I was still absorbing my amazement and shock at what Shelley Worrell had just accomplished, she yet found a few more words of inspiration for me. She said, “Lou, I was born in Kings County. I know these people; these are my people. I thanked Shelley and I assured her I would personally oversee the deliveries every day that week. And just like that, the next day, on Monday April 6th CaribBeing delivered!
Now, let me tell you about the entrepreneurs that stepped-up to feed these workers. These businesses represent the very best of our community. As this Covid-19 health crisis has paralyzed food and beverage establishments in our neighborhoods, their ingenuity and creativity were on full display – hustling, to beat the odds facing most of our local merchants. I saw young, vibrant, smart, and engaged hospitality businesspeople and restaurateurs, mostly Caribbean, put their money and love into preparing these meals while simultaneously providing take-out orders. What it revealed to me is that there is hope for our entrepreneur and business class, and what they needed was a cause to rally behind and a business leader like Shelley Worrell that could articulate a vision. The individuals and establishments that participated are the future of our community and you should know about them.
Correy K delivered on Monday. He is a social media influencer in the local food and beverage scene, he provided Chicken, Shrimp, and Fish plates with greens. Find him on Instagram (IG) @correy_k. On Tuesday, Parkside Pizza located on Parkside and Flatbush Ave came through with 20 small assorted pies. You can find them on IG @BKParkside. On Wednesday, Sip Unwine, located on Flatbush between Clarendon and Ave D, provided soups and a mix of vegetarian and meat entrees. You can find them at IG @sipunwine On Thursday, LIPS Café, located on Nostrand between Linden Blvd and Martense St, delivered wraps with Caribbean flavors. IG @lipscafe_. Finally, on Friday we had a very special lady, Ms. Isra from Mint Porch, which she describes as a “café experience” which currently runs as a custom catering service during the Covid-19 pandemic. She delivered Caribbean pasta dishes from the Flatbush Caton Market’s temporary annex located on Clarendon Road between Flatbush and E. 23rd Street. You can find her at IG @mintporchmeals and mintporch.com
Dr. Sigrid Wolfram is the doctor that made the request to my friend Claudia about the needs of her ER staff at Kings County/SUNY Downstate. She’s also a German woman, and I learned that she also lives in E. Flatbush. When I met her on Thursday, she said, “The staff is so happy because they are eating their own food, the food they know, and it’s so good” I thought of Shelley at that moment, and how incredible it was that she understood who she was serving, and how we were building a new community with a shared experience in fine food and high-quality care. At that moment I realized just how important it was that we were all different people but coming together and working together as one community. Shelley Worrell, and her platform CaribBeing, are charting a course towards that future. We thank her and acknowledge her selfless leadership and support for Caribbean businesses. I thank her for giving me the opportunity to collaborate with her and these entrepreneurs to bring some light and joy to the real heroes, our community’s healthcare workers.
Last week, we lost a champion in the Caribbean community, Dr. Roy Hastick, founder of the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to complications caused by COVID-19. It is worth noting that as we face new challenges in the post COVID business landscape, the emerging needs of our business class requires a new mission. After this experience, I am comforted that CaribBeing can herald the talent and skill of our business base to respond dynamically to new opportunities. Shelley Worrell is answering the call.
and then 