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.

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Hummus News

Revered family-owned Mediterranean restaurant debuts in North Dallas

Samantha Marie Photography

Zon Zon food spread

An upscale Mediterranean restaurant is coming to North Dallas from a trusted name: Called Zon Zon, it'll open at 5455 Belt Line Rd. #130, in the Work/Shop center, and it's hospitality group Yela Concepts led by Yaser Khalaf (Darna, Baboush), together with his son Mak Khalef in their first collaboration.

According to a release, it'll open on December 22.

Named for Mak's sister Zaina (“Zon Zon”), the restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner with a refined take on Mediterranean dining, rooted in tradition but with modern influences.

"We tried to merge what embodies Mediterranean cuisine with dishes that people in Dallas love," Mak says. "A lot of the dishes we have on menu are Mediterranean but have American and Texan influences."

Mezze favorites include hummus topped with green shatta and extra-virgin olive oil; baba ghanoush with charred eggplant, tahini, dukka, and pomegranate; crispy cauliflower with saffron labneh; tuna neya with tahini, mixed pickles, and Aleppo pepper; and kibbeh with ground lamb, onions, pine nuts, and dill labneh.

Salads include seared tuna salad with freekeh and golden beets; Tahini Caesar with tahini–Caesar dressing and za’atar croutons; and roasted beets with burrata, oranges, and pistachios.

Entrées include roasted chicken with garlic-batata and pomegranate jus; chicken shish kebab over saffron rice with almonds and raisins; hanger steak shawarma frites — a clever twist on steak frites with hand-cut fries; ZZ’s Wagyu cheeseburger with smoked provolone and house pickles; Prime ribeye with za’atar chimichurri and heirloom carrots; and apricot lamb couscous.

The beverage program complements the menu with a Mediterranean-focused wine list and creative cocktails such as the coffee-kissed Midnight Istanbul and ZZ’s Margarita, with burnt pineapple and ras el hanout.

Designed in collaboration with Dallas-based Coeval Studios, the restaurant features a 2,130-square-foot interior with an expansive 735-square-foot patio that seats 76, for a total occupancy near 100.

The restaurant boasts an open kitchen, while decorative finishes include modern woodwork, rich textures, and Middle Eastern-inspired details — stylish yet inviting, with a setting that feels like home.

“The inspiration behind Zon Zon came from wanting to create the kind of place we’ve always wished existed — a neighborhood Mediterranean spot that feels both familiar and exciting - we wanted to create a comfortable space where guests can meet up with friends or neighbors on a regular basis,” says Yaser in a statement.

Mak went to college to sudy biomedical engineering, but says he couldn't resist the lure of the restaurant world in which he grew up.

"Zon Zon is a reflection of everything we love about food," Mak says. "What makes this especially meaningful is building it with my dad — bringing our family’s story and passion to the table."

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