Unsung Heroes: The Hirsh Family Kosher Kitchen Staff

In 2021, Jewish Family Service LA’s Senior Nutrition Program provided over 312,000 meals to seniors and people with disabilities through home delivery and grab-and-go pick-up sites, an average of 26,000 meals each month. The majority of these meals are prepared by the staff of the Hirsh Family Kosher Kitchen, a dedicated and close-knit team of ten individuals who make everything from scratch (except for the bread). The herculean efforts of this small team are a reminder of the many individuals who give so much of themselves to make the agency’s invaluable work possible.

JFS has always provided home-delivered meals to homebound seniors and people with disabilities, but when they pandemic began, all of JFS’s congregant meal sites were forced to close, leaving many participants worried about food insecurity. In order to provide food for all of these clients, the Hirsh Family Kosher Kitchen staff started preparing double the amount of meals to meet the need. At the height of the pandemic, the kitchen staff and delivery drivers were bringing more than 60,000 meals each month to the most vulnerable people in Los Angeles.

But the dedication and commitment of the Hirsh Family Kosher Kitchen staff is not unique to the pandemic. Many of the staff have worked at JFS for decades and have ensured that food production remain uninterrupted through many hard times. When the Northridge Earthquake hit in November of 1994, the kitchen staff used their own car batteries to power portable lights so that kitchen operations could continue, and so our clients could receive hot meals delivered to their homes the very next morning.

“Day in and day out these unsung heroes do the work that needs to be done to ensure that we can keep our community healthy,” said Siri Perlman, RD, Director of JFS Senior Nutrition Services. The work is long and tiring, but its essential nature means so much to the staff. “It’s an incredible feeling,” said Hugo Perez, who has been the Food Service Manager at the Hirsh Family Kosher Kitchen for 30 years. “I cannot explain it, but it’s a huge satisfaction to know that we have services available for people in need. And when I meet with the kitchen crew, I emphasize: Do it likes it’s for your own family, your own loved ones.”

Besides the kitchen staff, a cadre of drivers help bring the meals directly to clients. “Because of the pandemic, so many of the older adults who came to the meal sites are dealing with isolation,” said Erwin Estrada, who has been Supervisor of JFS Home Delivery Meal Services for 34 years. “When things were at their worst, some of these people didn’t see anyone besides the JFS delivery drivers for days at a time. Many of our clients are so happy to see our drivers and talk to them. Hopefully they were able to go through all this with less stress and discomfort because of what we did.”

Beginning this past summer, the JFS Senior Nutrition team began setting up grab-and-go locations where clients of the congregant meal sites could come pick up a week’s worth of meals rather than receiving home delivery. There are currently 7 grab-and-go sites up and running throughout Los Angeles. It takes a team beyond the cooks and delivery drivers to make this work happen. Each JFS Senior Nutrition staff member plays a critical role every day. The site managers ensure that JFS pick-up distribution sites are consistently open for all clients who need them, and even help packing meals in the kitchen prior to distribution. The Program Secretary, among many other duties, provides exceptional customer service to clients who call in with questions or concerns, and the Kitchen Office Assistant diligently schedules and tracks all cold storage meal reserve shipments and pickups.

On top of everything, the kitchen staff needed to increase production, not only because of the pandemic but also because the kitchen needed structural repairs. Over five months of running two back-to-back shifts, the kitchen staff managed to create a reserve of over 134,000 meals. “This resilient team came in and doubled production and built a five-month reserve,” said Siri Perlman. “It’s just incredible. Between the self-sacrifice that each person has exhibited, and the heartbreak they have experienced, I cannot give them enough credit.”

The heartbreak that she is referring to is the passing of Miguel Martinez to Covid. Miguel was affectionately referred to as Primo (cousin) by his colleagues. A father of three, Miguel was the Operations Coordinator at the Hirsh Family Kosher Kitchen for over 25 years. Miguel’s passing was incredibly hard on the kitchen staff. “He was family,” said Hugo Perez. “There is a family connection between all of us in the kitchen.” Siri Perlman remembered, “One day, Miguel gave me a piece of potato kugel to try and asked how I liked it. I replied that I prefer the noodle kugel, to which he proudly responded, ‘That’s because I didn’t make it. When I make it, you’ll like it much more.’”

Miguel’s passing is also a reminder of the sacrifice that every member of the kitchen team makes to come to work. In the darkest times of the pandemic, while most staff worked from home, the kitchen staff worked morning to night to keep our community fed. This commitment came at great risk to themselves and their families. “They put their lives at stake to produce meals that fed the community. They’re doing so much good,” Siri Perlman said. “The staff have weathered hard times, but they know they’re serving people who really depend on them for their most basic need – the need to eat – and to make it through the day.” Hugo Perez added, “They feel proud of their work. My family worries for me. But I have a responsibility that I care about, and a responsibility for people who depend on me. So it’s been very important to keep our morale up.”

Prior to the pandemic, the kitchen staff would sometimes meet in the park on the weekends with their families. Earlier this month they enjoyed a break on the patio with tamales and Rosca de Reyes to celebrate Dia de los Reyes. “It’s an opportunity for us all to bond together,” Hugo Perez said. “It’s important to us to share those special moments and occasions.” They also try to find time to appreciate each other at work. A party for the holidays was an opportunity to decorate, dance, and exchange gifts. They try to keep that spirit going throughout the day. “When the music is on in the kitchen, we’ll start doing a little dance. We make each other laugh,” Siri Perlman said. “We bring levity to the moments we can, and we enjoy each other. We find joy and humor whenever we can, as a team.”

Siri Perlman added, “We talk a lot about first responders in the medical field, as we should, but these individuals who have worked in the kitchens to keep people from going hungry do not get the recognition they deserve. Every day they go into these small spaces and make sure we never miss a beat getting meals out the door. Everything they do is behind the scenes, and they have all sacrificed a lot.”

Here are the names of the people making the meals so many enjoy, as well as the home delivery and Grab-and-Go staff.

Hirsh Kosher Kitchen Staff: Chef Hugo Perez, Mashgiach Robert Baubot, Mashgiach Amir Hakimi, Armando Vargas, Manuel Castellon, Gerardo Quintanilla, Jose Benitez, Juan Perez, Rafael Cruz, Manuel Vargas, Sophia Pang

Home Delivered Meal Drivers: Jayme Owens, Tasha Calloway, Yovani Huezo, Maynor Guillermo, Jose Muniz, Vladimir Tutunik

Grab-and-Go Meal Site Managers: David Feinman, Dong Park, Ella Dvorkina, Leon Khariton