Winter storm aid

Virginia nonprofit Mercy Chefs arrives in Dallas-Fort Worth with hot meals and water

Mercy Chefs will serve hot meals for lunch and dinner.

Photo courtesy of Mercy Chefs

A disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization called Mercy Chefs is on its way to Dallas-Fort Worth, all the way from Virginia, loaded up to supply two things we need: hot meals and water.

Mercy Chefs, founded in 2006 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, visits communities around the country to serve professionally prepared, restaurant-quality meals to victims, first responders, and volunteers in emergencies and natural disasters.

Beginning Friday, February 19, they'll be in Dallas and Fort Worth, following the extreme winter weather that has left communities without power and water this week. According to a release, the faith-based nonprofit also is working to provide clean drinking water in other parts of the state that have been hit hard by the storm.

Mercy Chefs has the capacity to serve more than 10,000 meals a day while in Texas and is preparing and distributing food from multiple locations.

In Dallas, Mercy Chefs will prepare meals from multiple kitchens, including The Cornerstone Kitchen, 2815 S. Ervay St., and 3015 at Trinity Groves, 3015 Gulden Ln. The team will distribute meals from those kitchens out into the Dallas community in the coming days. Exact details will be announced when the crews arrive in town.

They'll also be in north Fort Worth, an area that has been largely without power and under a boil advisory for most of this week. Mercy Chefs will serve dinner beginning at 4 pm Friday from a large mobile kitchen based at Gateway Church North Fort Worth Campus, 4209 Basswood Blvd., at the intersection with Beach Street.

Then the schedule at Gateway will be:

Saturday, February 20, 12-2 pm (lunch); 4-6 pm (dinner)
Sunday, February 21, 12-2 pm (lunch); 4-6 pm (dinner)
Monday, February 22, 12-2 pm (lunch); 4-6 pm (dinner)

Additional days may be added as needed, a spokeswoman says. Meals are available while supplies last.

Meals are free and first-come, first-served; no registration required.

“This winter storm has affected so many people over such a widespread area in communities that simply aren’t prepared for this kind of weather – we’ve never seen anything like it,” said Gary LeBlanc, founder of Mercy Chefs, in a statement. “We anticipate a great need, and we are responding with the ability to prepare thousands of meals each day to help those in crisis.”

Mercy Chefs has served over 10 million meals since its founding in 2006, including 7 million meals in response to the coronavirus pandemic across the country since March.

According to this story from a Portsmouth, Virginia TV station, the organization has received received more than 20 requests for help between Dallas, Texas, and Oklahoma since Tuesday night.

Follow Mercy Chefs’ Facebook page for updates.

charity weather

Back in Business

Garland restaurant from Bobby Flay winner to reopen in downtown Dallas

Photo courtesy of Pangea

Chef Kevin Ashade has found a new home for Pangea.

Pangea, the popular Garland restaurant which closed in January 2025, has found a new home. A new iteration of the restaurant will open in downtown Dallas, at 1910 Pacific Ave., Ste. 1400, in a location that was once vegan restaurant Belse.

According to restaurant personnel, it will open at 4 pm Friday, February 13.

Pangea is from chef and restaurateur Kevin Ashade, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America who won Food Network's Beat Bobby Flay in 2016 with his signature coq au vin, which will be served at the new restaurant.

Ashade has a strong culinary background in Dallas, which includes Craft at the W Hotel, Nana at the Hilton Anatole, The Oceanaire Seafood Room, and his GourmEats catering business, before opening Pangea in January 2020.

In this new chapter of Pangea, which is defined by Ashade as “elevated and globally inspired," the menu will expand past the original restaurant's upscale Southern eats to include new flavors and fusions from Italian, Nigerian, Japanese, French, and Caribbean cuisine.

“The focus will be on a true definition of what Pangea is, with new dishes and a true cultural approach to food,” Ashade says.

The menu will feature about half of the dishes from the original location, including the popular jerk roasted lamb shank, stuffed salmon, and crab cakes. It will expand to include more fish options, like a branzino plate, and more cuts of steak, in addition to the New York strip, filet, and ribeye that were served in the Garland location. Entrees will range from $35 to $50, with more casual options such as burgers and sandwiches available as well.

The new restaurant will also feature a full raw and sushi bar, including an omakase option starting at $85. They will also be serving brunch on weekends, with options such as chicken and waffles, eggs Benedict, omelets, steak frites, pastry baskets, and a full coffee menu.

Pangea downtown Dallas The menu is globally inspired. Photo courtesy of Pangea

The 240-seat space is upscale with a lounge vibe, with warm lighting creating a sophisticated but welcoming look. It features a full bar, a private dining room, and an ample climate-controlled patio. It is centrally located, across the street from Pacific Plaza Park and on the same block as the Majestic Theatre.

“This relocation means a better spot for us, an opportunity to be part of the business district. We want to create a vacation feel, a place that makes you feel like you are traveling in Mykonos, Tulum, or Ibiza,” Ashade says.

Pangea will be open for dinner seven days a week, as well as offering lunch on Fridays and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. The restaurant will stay open late — until 2 am — on weekends.

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