“Frankenstorm” Sandy wreaked havoc and tragedy on millions of people living along the East Coast. Our hearts go out to those who lost friends and love ones. There is no doubt that it will take millions of laborers of all types and trades, to assist in bringing people’s lives back to normal.

 Pepper's Fine Catering got the call the day before the storm hit for a very unique corporate catering opportunity. To help workers weather the aftermath of the storm, Pepper's dispatched and mobilized to set up a temporary kitchen that would feed over 200 linemen and tree trimmers working to restore power in Western, Mass. A team of six were deployed to Greenfield, MA by the top level of companies who provide these services, Base Logistics out of New Orleans, Louisiana. Base, as we refer to them, was nothing short of amazing--terrifically organized and committed to the task at hand.

It was equally impressive to observe the dedication and professionalism of the employees from National Grid. Often, we take things such as turning on a light switch for granted, and can’t understand why, when the power goes out, it doesn’t come back within a few minutes. We observed crews working day and night to put the power back on. The hard working volunteers that we were feeding were nearly falling asleep when they finally had a chance to have a hot dinner.

To date, we have been out on the road for 13 days serving over 2600 nutritious and filling meals to a very receptive audience. And these guys can eat! Double portions on numerous items are a common request.

Serving these men and women was a privilege and a pleasure. It was nice to make a contribution to the disaster relief, in our own Pepper's way. Now we are buttoning down the hatches and securing all equipment, so it will be ready for the next Nor’easter.