logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2025
32m 2s

Called to Serve: Mercy Chefs

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

When Hurricane Katrina hit, Gary LeBlanc did what he knew best—he showed up to cook. But what he found on the ground was far from comforting. The food being served to survivors wasn't physically or spiritually nourishing. That moment sparked the idea for Mercy Chefs, a faith-based disaster relief organization committed to serving high-quality, home-cooked meals to people in crisis.

 

In this episode, Ben Walter and Kathleen Griffith sit down with Gary to hear how he built Mercy Chefs from the ground up, often with no money in the bank and no backup plan. They'll also discuss the true price of answering a calling, and what it takes to serve others when the storms just keep coming. These are The Unshakeables.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Jun 2025
Storm Tested: re:3D
Samantha Snabes never set out to build a typical company. As co-founder of re:3D and a member of the Air Force National Guard, she launched an open-source 3D printing company that prioritizes access over exclusivity. But when back-to-back hurricanes hit both her team in Houston a ... Show More
32m 24s
May 2025
BONUS: Boost Your Resilience At Work
What can we do to cultivate more resilience at work? Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and host of The Unshakeables podcast, thinks about this question a lot. In today’s mini episode, Ben joins Maya to talk about the unique challenges faced by America’s small business owners— ... Show More
12m 21s
May 2025
Insuring a Family's Future: Elan Flowers
After a sudden health crisis rocked his family, Patrick Hall made an unexpected move: he bought a flower shop. Elan Flowers wasn’t just a creative venture—it was a lifeline. For Patrick, becoming a small business owner was the only way he could guarantee healthcare, financial sta ... Show More
34m 51s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 25
What's Cooking?
In contemporary cookbooks—and in the burgeoning realm of online cooking content—there’s often a life style on display alongside the recipes. Samin Nosrat is a fixture of this landscape, and her new book, “Good Things,” aims to pick up where her mega-best-seller “Salt, Fat, Acid, ... Show More
48m 24s
Oct 2023
No Good Deed
Mormons and entrepreneurs Tony and Katherine Butterfield were the kind of people who gave a leg up to anyone who needed it. They invited jobless citizens to work for their landscaping company and homeless ones into their home. So on the morning of April 18th, 2020 no one could be ... Show More
32m 42s
Oct 2016
66. Alton Brown (Chef, Author) - Easy-Bake Oven/Hard Knock Life
Since 2008, Big Think has been sharing big ideas from creative and curious minds. The Think Again podcast takes us out of our comfort zone, surprising our guests and Jason Gots, your host, with unexpected conversation starters from Big Think’s interview archives. Cook, writer, an ... Show More
50m 11s
Sep 2023
Jeanne K. Firth, "Feeding New Orleans: Celebrity Chefs and Reimagining Food Justice" (UNC Press, 2023)
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, many high-profile chefs in New Orleans pledged to help their city rebound from the flooding. Several formed their own charitable organizations, including the John Besh Foundation, to help revitalize the region and its restaurant scene. A year and ... Show More
1h 20m
Apr 2022
Ruth Reichl
Minnie questions Ruth Reichl, chef, food writer, and the last editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine. Ruth shares how her mother’s bipolar disorder helped her discover a love of cooking, how her introduction to parenthood started with a tragedy that turned into a miracle, and where ... Show More
35m 37s
Oct 2024
Cooking Dreams & Destiny with Ina Garten
This week, step into the studio (and kitchen!) with Jen and Amy as they have an intimate and insightful conversation with the iconic Ina Garten, a true pioneer in the culinary world who has shaped the way we cook at home. As they delve into Ina's groundbreaking career, from the b ... Show More
1h 2m
Sep 15
Info You Can Use: Top Celebrity Chef shares marketing and cooking tips.
Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Celebrity Chef Jernard Wells. Award-winning television personality, author, and entrepreneur, joins Money Making Conversations Masterclass to discuss his journey fro ... Show More
22m 17s
Aug 2024
68. Dawn White-Fosdick: Christian Assistance Ministry's Walk-In Support Services
This week’s guest is Dawn White-Fosdick, the longtime president and CEO of Christian Assistance Ministry, widely known as CAM, which serves both the city's homeless as well as families who have housing but are experiencing crisis in their lives. For the month of August, the ... Show More
43m 4s
Nov 2024
Finding My Vocation
Many young (and not-so-young) adults today struggle to figure out what they should do with their lives. Focusing on this significant issue, Todd and Carl talk with William (Bill) Boekestein about his new book, Finding My Vocation: A Guide for Young People Seeking a Calling. If pe ... Show More
31m 20s
Sep 8
Betrayed By Kindness : Episode 460
We all know the quote, "If you can be one thing, be kind."Edna Slater was a kind woman. She wasn't wealthy, but she did all she could to help people in her community in Leeds who were down on their luck, by lending money or allowing them to do odd jobs in her home for cash. But E ... Show More
27m 37s