Update on Our Hurricane Response

Applications for Hurricanes Helene and Milton are now closed.

Cases are processed in the order in which they were received. We are distributing weekly updates regarding processing time; please watch for emails from our team!

If you applied for assistance unrelated to these disasters, we are working as quickly as possible to process your case. Please reach out to your case manager directly or casemanagement@southernsmoke.org for any updates. Thank you for your patience during this time of unprecedented volume.

We are so grateful for the outpouring of support, and thanks to generous donors, to date we have granted $680,800 to 487 F+B workers affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton with 2,500 more being processed.

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Chef Image
Austin, TX /
Comedor
WHERE WILL I BE COOKING:

With her bright and bubbly personality, and her astonishingly delicious interpretations of Southeast Asian cooking through a Latin-American lens, Evelyn Garcia is one of America’s most beloved young chefs. The Houston native received her education at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, then cut her teeth in New York City with stints at Jean George Spice Market, Masak, and Kin Shop. Upon returning to Houston, Garcia showcased her unique style of cooking as the featured chef at Decatur Bar & Pop-Up Factory and at her Kin vendor space at Politan Row Food Hall. In 2022 she competed on and reached the finals of Top Chef Houston. Her first restaurant with partner Henry Lu, Jun, opened in Houston in 2023 and showcases what the chefs call “New Asian American” food.