Tobin Simpson has always enjoyed cooking. As a young man, he dabbled in electrical work, landscaping, construction and a few other tough jobs. When he found the culinary arts, he was certain his path was secure.
“I hadn’t worked in a professional kitchen before, but I figured I’d start at the top,” he said. “I interviewed with Steven Greene at Devereaux’s and with you at 33 Liberty. But it was chef Lindsey at the Lazy Goat who gave me a shot, and I loved working there.”
I had to laugh, then apologize, at the awkwardness of learning Tobin had interviewed with me and I didn’t hire him.
“It’s OK because Lindsey gave me a shot and I ran with it,” he said. “Later, I spent some time at Devereaux’s and then at American Grocery. While working at the grocery I had the opportunity to volunteer at the soup kitchen, and I really thought I’d walk in there and everyone would want me to show them how to be better with a knife or make something wonderful. Nope. The kitchen was staffed by volunteers, most of them old enough to be my grandmother, and they were turning kitchen scraps into soups and salads. They certainly didn’t need some kid like me to show them anything.”
Tobin grew up in a young family and he gravitated to helping his mom in the kitchen so he understands the value of stretching a meal. That skill has come in handy at the Project Host Soup Kitchen, where today he is the CEO.
“I was their chef for a long time and when Sally Green left, the job eventually fell on my shoulders,” he said. “When I was chef, I had callouses all over my hands. That happens when you’re constantly working with knives. The biggest difference as CEO, thanks to all the time sitting at my desk, is those callouses have now migrated to my butt.”
The soup kitchen receives a lot of interest around the holidays, but Tobin’s challenge is year-round.
“Our lunch guests at the kitchen, well they may have spent the night on the sidewalk, and we need to remember that. Our guests are incredibly appreciative, though, and our dining room is always full of smiles,” he said. “Today we have our food truck and that allows us to reach communities that cannot get to our Academy Street location. And our Cooking for Kids program, thanks to the CC Pearce Culinary School (another Project Host program), we feed 400 to 500 kids a day. Kids that have a healthy, hot meal do better in school, and conquering food insecurity, that’s our mission. We will always have a need for the soup kitchen and I’d love to do more outreach next year, get our resources out where they’re needed the most.”
The Project Host Soup Kitchen, at 525 S. Academy St. serves lunch, no questions asked, Sundays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to noon.
“City Juice” is a colloquial term for a glass of tap water served at a diner. John Malik is a restaurant coach and hospitality consultant. He can be reached at chefjohnmalik@gmail.com.
