In the Bible, Jesus said, “Feed the hungry.” And that is exactly what chef Myke “Tatung” Sarthou did in the aftermath of typhoon “Carina,” who wreaked havoc on many parts of the Philippines when it joined forces with the habagat (southwest monsoon) to bring insurmountable rains and strong winds for days that did not seem to want to let up. When it finally did, it left the country in shambles, with floodwaters that did not recede fast enough, and mounds of mud, damaged furniture and appliances, soiled clothes, destroyed homes, and lost lives to deal with.

In the midst of picking up the pieces so that life may go on, hunger. This was where Chef Tatung came in. Not many people know it, but he has had Sulong Simpol for quite some time now and has organized several feeding programs for typhoon victims in the past. So, when typhoon “Carina,” in tandem with the habagat, started sending torrential rains down and causing flash floods around Metro Manila, its surrounding provinces and the whole of central and northern Luzon, Chef Tatung knew that it was going to be devastating. He lay awake at dawn, thinking of how many people out there are experiencing the wrath of the typhoon. He knew that he could — and should — help in the best way he knew how, and that is to feed the hungry. So he immediately went to work, mobilizing the kitchens of the restaurants he co-owned, such as Lore, Azadore and Pandan Asian Café. He announced his project on his social media platforms and appealed for donations, and these came in droves almost immediately. Cooking quickly commenced. Although some of his staff were also personally affected by the wrath of the storm, they still managed to make things happen somehow.

Before he knew it, the team was already at the San Roque Elementary School in San Roque, Marikina, handing out 300 bowls of lugaw with egg to evacuees who have fled their homes and sought safer grounds in the evacuation center.

While additional cooking stations were set up to accommodate the need for hot meals with the help of La Germania and Island Gas, Tindeli, Chef Tatung’s deli and bakery, was producing oversized pandesals and pairing these with hard-boiled eggs and coffee.

At the same time, volunteers had started flocking to the kitchens to lend a hand in prepping and packing food items. Chef Tatung created a production line system to speed up food production to enable them to reach more people.

“Our first volunteer joined us on the day of the storm, when we decided to call for support and volunteers,” he said.

The food prep and cooking has not really stopped since Day One, even as Chef Tatung and his team continued to deliver an average of 1,000 hot meals a day. They have been to the San Francisco Elementary School in San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City, where hundreds of families from badly affected areas sought temporary shelter. Chef Tatung’s team also brought hot meals to two areas in East Kamias and Tatalon in Quezon City. Generous packs of lugaw with egg, adobo with egg, adobo with egg, bread and egg, menudo and fried chicken nourished them.

At this time, a lot of evacuees have gone back to their homes and their lives are going back to normal. But for those whose journey back to normal life is taking a longer time than usual, Chef Tatung’s Sulong Simpol continues to feed them.

“We will be doing more relief efforts and reaching out to other localities until our supplies run out. Support continues to reach us until now,” says Chef Tatung, as donations now turn more into relief goods, which he has started to share with victims of typhoon “Carina.”

Great job, Chef Tatung!