Pain in the Legs: Lessons from Chefs Cycle

Who would ride their bike 300 miles in three days? Travis Flood, Jess Cerra, Stuart Brown and Tom Nelson are four out of the hundreds of chefs and members of the culinary community who do it to raise funds and awareness for No Kid Hungry. In this special episode of Add Passion and Stir, host and fellow cyclist Billy Shore talks to these four riders after the second day of the 2017 Chefs Cycle event about what motivates them to tackle both the challenge of the ride and the challenge of ending childhood hunger in the US. (The first Chefs Cycle 2018 will be May 15-17 in Santa Rosa, CA and the second will be September 25-27 in Charlottesville, VA.)

 

It comes down to commitment and community. Arby’s Foundation Executive Director Stuart Brown, who experienced several mechanical problems, sees a parallel between his ride and the mission to end hunger. “When you rally around a community, it happens. Even though I had all the flat tires, I made it because of the power of community,” he says. Chef Travis Flood of California’s Alexander’s Steakhouse and Pappas Artisanal not only rides in the event but has the added pressure of preparing dinner for all the riders and volunteers each night. “I have so much love and respect and care for this organization that I don’t want to fail,” he says. Personal chef and professional cyclist Jess Cerra grew up food insecure in small-town Montana. “I realized the community was really helping my mom so she could feed us…. So for me it goes beyond kids who don’t have breakfast or lunch or dinner… they realize that people believe in them,” she says. Share Our Strength President and CEO Tom Nelson values the perseverance. “It’s people coming together—chefs, corporations, elite cyclists—saying we’re not going to fail, we’re going to persevere on this ride. We’re going to persevere in ending childhood hunger in this country,” he says.

 

Be inspired by the dedication of four No Kid Hungry champions who persevere through a grueling physical challenge to help end childhood hunger.