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Chefs Cycle

By Jeff Mahin

By InnerVoice

January 4^th, 2019

The Origin Story

Chefs Cycle really started with a guy named Jason Roberts, who is this super-animated Australian guy. He posted a picture of his bike, and I thought it was really cool, so we ended up chatting on Facebook. At that time he had an idea to ride his bike across the country to raise a bunch of money for the charity No Kid Hungry. Through this process, Jason has become one of my best friends, like a brother.

The first iteration of Chefs Cycle was Jason, Alan Ng and a few others riding for charity. That inspired Debbie Shore, the co-founder of No Kid Hungry, to help mould Chefs Cycle into what it is today. Debbie and I met at one of my restaurants, Summer House SM in DC. She told me what Jason and Alan had accomplished, and they wanted support to grow the event. I was immediately in. I loved cycling, and the cause was awe inspiring.

From that point on I helped in any way possible. Planning routes, finding sponsors, recruiting riders. I fell in love with this idea. Debbie wanted to do a ride on the east coast and the west coast. Both 300 miles, 3 days, 100 miles each day. Looking back it was pure urban marketing. A motley crew of people, all calling their friends to try to recruit them to participate. I remember calling Brian Voltaggio and saying, “Hey man, you got to do this thing called Chefs Cycle with me.” He said that there was no way he was riding a bike. I was pleading with him and a few other chefs by saying "you've just got to do it!”

This was the beginning of what it is now. Chefs Cycle started as a bare-bones idea and has grown into such a beautiful thing.

The first Million

There was about 20 of us on the east coast ride. Honestly, it was ragtag stuff. The support cars were driven by friends or employees of No Kid Hungry. Very simple. But it lit this big fuse and became an event where everyone rode together and had a fantastic time. We were sharing stories on the road like a regular bike ride, only now we were with our peers.

I think it showed a lot of chefs that they can actually do it. I remember Mary-Sue (Milliken) was there, and she was just one of the people who you would never have thought you’d see on a bike, but it grew like wildfire. To a lot of people biking is scary, but once they’d been out there, they were the ones calling everyone they know to convince them to join. I'd overhear conversations along the lines of "No, this is amazing. This is magical."

By year 2 of the official, organized Chefs Cycle that you see today, we raised a million dollars. One million dollars! All of the chefs who participated started getting healthier and happier and changing their lives. It was the same thing that happened to me. When I started to get in shape, I was happier, healthier, eating better and I made positive changes in my life. I think that's what's so special about cycling - it's so addictive. It's fun, and if you allow yourself to take the plunge, the payback is unbelievable.

Supporting each other

Cycling also works so well with the chef mentality. It's competitive, it's about teamwork, it's individual, it can be hard. Chefs are also nerdy as hell. We love equipment and gear and metal and learning about things because that's how you become a chef. Cycling is the same way. I hear other cyclists saying stuff like "this bike is 15 pounds, and if you did this it becomes 14.9 pounds." I love that stuff! And it’s funny because Chefs Cycle used to be about cooking, but now it’s about cycling.

When most chefs go to events, they all have to work. For example you have to produce 600 portions of a dish, and there's media there who you have to entertain. The chefs are all concerned with who's better. Who made the best dish? It's always work. What Chefs Cycle did (and we didn't realize this at the time) was brought all these chefs together to stop working. We didn't cook, we got food from somebody else. Chef Travis Flood took on the responsibility of feeding everyone, not an easy task to willingly cook for 300 or so really hungry chefs. What's unique is no other event in the world takes 300 chefs and puts them in the same area, but none of them have to cook, just have fun.

Our only job is to support each other on the ride.

FIghting Childhood HUNGER

I used to get text messages from my chef buddies about eating fast food and going out drinking, but now our group chats are about who wants to get up and ride at 6am tomorrow, or a new green juice recipe. We've also made positive change for an industry where the employees are notoriously bad at taking care of themselves - both physically and mentally. We're producing healthier, happier, better chefs who can go home to their families and say “I'm going to live longer now.” Some chefs have lost 70 or 80 pounds - it's pretty unbelievable.

The most incredible thing is we have been able to help fight childhood hunger by spreading the No Kid Hungry message. As of today, we've raised more than $6 million to buy breakfast in schools and support meal programs across the country. How we raise more money is always a big question. Phil Gaimon has done a fantastic job with Phil's Fondo. He brought in a lot of different Chefs Cycle participants who all cook at the Fondo, so when the riders finish they get to enjoy food from some of the best chefs in the country, which is rad! A significant portion of the money raised at Phil’s Fondo goes to Chefs Cycle and No Kid Hungry - I think it was something like $30,000 last year.

We have the basis for an amazing event now; we have real riders and real chefs, and it's had an enormous impact. Now it's about spreading the word and getting people out and active and creating a community around it. As a seasoned cyclist, I can help others feel like a part of the community as opposed to an outsider. Some of my best friends are people who I've ridden with, and they helped me when I first started. I was lucky to find these great mentors in cycling (just like in cooking) who believed in me and would show me the way. I want to share my joy and love for cycling with as many people as possible.

I personally want to thank Adele Nelson, Debbie and Billy Shore. Without these people, Chefs Cycle would have never happened. There are so many other very integral people to the event like the chefs, but these three are the spirit and the breath of Chefs Cycle and No Kid Hungry.

Footnotes

Words by Jeff Mahin, Cover photo by Davey Wilson, Photos by Matt Clark (Stirl and Rae Media Haus), Edited by Cody Royle, Published by Travis McKenzie, Copyright NTSQ Sports Group

Support Chefs Cycle | No Kid Hungry

FootNotes

Words by Jeff Mahin, Cover photo by Davey Wilson, Photos by Matt Clark (Stirl and Rae Media Haus), Edited by Cody Royle, Published by Travis McKenzie, Copyright NTSQ Sports Group

Colin O'Brady

Chefs Cycle

By Jeff Mahin

FootNotes

No Human is Limited

I'm Here To Win

The Humble Son

My Incredible Journey

The Most Interesting Man In The World

Season 3