Star chef helped Outer Banks taco stand battered by Dorian. She’s not stopping there
Earlier this fall, celebrity chef Vivian Howard set out to help a taco stand on North Carolina’s Outer Banks after it was battered by Hurricane Dorian.
The Category 1 storm brought historic flooding to Ocracoke Island, trapping hundreds of people on the island and damaging homes and businesses, McClatchy news group reported in September.
When the storm made landfall on the island the morning of Sept. 6, it tore Eduardo’s food truck, a beloved taco stand, from its foundation and destroyed its refrigerator system, McClatchy news group reported.
So Howard, North Carolina chef and star of “A Chef’s Life” on PBS, started selling T-shirts that said “One Island Under Tacos” to raise money to help rebuild Eduardo’s, according to a news release.
But the fundraiser extended beyond that and will now help other restaurants on the island recover.
Howard raised $41,754 selling the T-shirts and, after allocating $15,000 to help Eduardo Chavez rebuild his food truck, she partnered with the Sunday Supper to distribute the rest of the money through its hurricane relief grant program, the release says.
“Y’all love Ocracoke! Our little fundraiser sold more than 2,500 T-shirts,” Howard said in the release. “I’m excited to see the profits go to help rebuild Eduardo’s taco stand as well as other Ocracoke restaurants.”
Howard owns the restaurants Chef & the Farmer and Boiler Room in Kinston, where she lives, and Benny’s Big Time in Wilmington.
In 2017, she raised almost $65,000 selling T-shirts that said “Country as Cornbread” to help those affected by Hurricane Florence, according to the release.
“It’s great to witness, once again, North Carolinians supporting one another in times of distress,” Willa Kane, chairperson of The Sunday Supper Board of Directors said in the release. “And, we are thrilled to partner with Vivian to ensure grant funds are directly provided to Ocracoke Island food businesses most in need.”
Howard, who has won numerous awards for her show and cooking, is set to star in a new series, “Somewhere South,” on PBS March 27.
This story was originally published December 4, 2019 at 3:43 PM.
