'Nutritious food shouldn’t be a privilege': NFL chef fights food insecurity in Fayetteville
Chef J’Kwan Fulmore has spent years cooking for professional athletes — but late last year, the Fayetteville native returned to his hometown to help feed the hungry.
Fulmore, 26, said he was a personal chef to Buffalo Bills wide receiver Trent Sherfield when he decided to return to Fayetteville to start the program Er’Body Eatz to fight against food insecurity after nearly a decade away.
The South View High School graduate, who earned a degree in international cuisine from the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts' former Orlando campus in 2017, said he was inspired by the efforts his NFL employers made to give back to their hometowns.
Often, Fulmore said, players hired him to help teach young athletes how to cook nutritious meals at free youth football camps.
Now, the chef is working to bring fresh produce to kids in Fayetteville-area schools.
“You can either turn a blind eye to it or you can be part of the solution,” he said. “And If I’m going to be part of the solution, I’m going to be in the city that raised me.”
Gardens and food pantries planned for local schools
This summer, the first seeds will be planted for a student community garden at Ramsey Street High School’s 162-square-foot greenhouse, Fulmore said, and he is working with principal Laurence L. Smalls to begin programming with students next year.
The chef said he plans to put food pantries at E.E. Smith, South View and Gray’s Creek high schools, and the harvests from the greenhouse will go to them.
He said Er’Body Eatz, which is in the process of getting its tax-exempt nonprofit status, will restock the pantries as often as necessary for kids to get the food they need.
“No kid should have to wonder if they’re going to eat every night,” he said.
What's next for Er'Body Eatz
Fulmore and his fellow Er’Body Eatz board members — Fayetteville Technical Community College small business center director Ricardo Murphy and dean of business programs Kelly Gold, as well as Just Love Coffee Cafe owner Victoria Clemons — plan to formally introduce the program to Fayetteville with a Juneteenth cookout.
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Fulmore said he aims to help the community that raised him.
“We’re here to help as many hungry families to not be hungry as possible,” he said. “Sustainable and nutritious food shouldn’t be a privilege for the wealthy."
Chef offers healthy cooking classes
Knowing how to cook healthy, affordable meals is the largest part of the battle when it comes to eating right, Fulmore said.
He said that’s why he offers community cooking classes twice a month at Just Love Coffee Cafe in the Freedom Town Center on Cliffdale Road. Recent classes covered dishes like spaghetti and meatballs; Jamaican jerk chicken with mango salsa, rice and peas and steamed cabbage and carrots; and honey garlic and sesame chicken with long-grain rice. Cost is $49 and tickets can be purchased on EventBrite.
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Fulmore is also a culinary arts instructor at Fayetteville Technical Community College, where he teaches students how to make cold items like dips, salads, sandwiches and gazpacho, known as garde-manger.
How to contact Er’Body Eatz
People interested in volunteering can find the grassroots group at facebook.com/ErBodyEatz to fill out an interest form and follow for updates. A donation page for the community cookout and greenhouse had raised $35 of a $25,000 goal as of Thursday morning.
Food, dining and culture reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at [email protected] or on Facebook. Want weekly food news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Fayetteville Foodies newsletter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: J'Kwan Fulmore of Er'Body Eatz fights food insecurity in Fayetteville
