San Jose chef starts meal program to help restaurants, hungry residents

When chef Rodney Baca and his wife Madelyn saw how the COVID-19 pandemic was ravaging their community and small business owners, the philanthropic duo decided to help fellow restaurateurs, restaurant workers and food suppliers.

“The inspiration came from not allowing any more of us to go down if I could help it,” said chef Rodney Baca, who co-owns The Shop by Chef Baca in San Jose with his wife. “To see our brothers and sisters in the hospitality industry that are decimated, for me, we had to do something.”