St. Anthony’s in San Francisco’s Tenderloin serves Christmas dinner to those in need
By Itay Hod
On Christmas Day, kitchens across America hum with familiar activity. Vegetables are chopped. Pots are stirred, and cooks prepare meals for the people they love.
But in one San Francisco kitchen, Efrain Gomez is creating a feast for people who don’t have a table to go home to.
“A lot of people out there don’t have meals,” he said. “But for the most part, it’s a good time, and everyone tries to be cheerful.”
Gomez, the chef at St. Anthony’s Foundation, is overseeing a Christmas feast in the heart of the Tenderloin, a neighborhood where need is visible, persistent, and growing. For many of the guests who will walk through the doors today, this meal is more than a holiday tradition. It’s a lifeline.
On the menu: Korean-style chicken, cilantro rice, Italian flatbread, fresh cookies baked from scratch, and even a vegetarian option.
St. Anthony’s is a 75-year-old San Francisco institution, known for serving people in need with dignity. Christmas is its biggest day of the year.
This is Gomez’s first Christmas in charge of the kitchen, and in a matter of minutes, about 2,500 meals will move through the space. The menu is ambitious, but the day means more than food. Long before he was running this kitchen, Gomez relied on it.
After years of drug and alcohol addiction, St. Anthony’s is where he found his footing again.
“It was a struggle,” Gomez said. “And still to this day, it’s not easy.”
As food insecurity grows across San Francisco, more people are coming through St. Anthony’s doors, driven by rising costs and shrinking safety nets.
“We call the people who come and access our services guests,” said Laura Flannigan, the foundation’s chief operating officer.
Flannigan said the number of Christmas meals served has nearly doubled in just the last two years. But she insisted that the description misses the point.
“These are chefs who really take pride in trying new recipes,” Flannigan said. “They get feedback from the guests.”
John Kumagai, a retired baker from Hawaii, is a regular and one of their toughest critics.
“I give them four [out of five] stars,” he said. “Maybe they can put more sauce,” he added with a smile.
