Some of the most important conversations do not begin in an office or a classroom â they begin around the dinner table, celebrity chef Robert Irvine said.
“Food is hope, is love, is community, communication and caring,” Irvine told Fox News Digital in an interview from his home in Florida. “When we sit across from the table with each other, we can see what’s going on.”
That belief is behind Fuel to Serve, a new five-year partnership between the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) and the Robert Irvine Foundation, designed to use food and as a starting point for supporting military families.
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The initiative, announced at the end of September, will begin with pilots at Fort Bragg and in the Washington, D.C., region.Â
It aims to connect service members and their families with cooking and nutritional education, financial resources, support, benefits navigation and community programs.
Irvine, founder and chairman of the Robert Irvine Foundation, said the partnership expands his longtime effort to improve military food systems and build practical skills at home.
The partnership is allowing Irvine to go “wider and broader and deeper,” he said. “I think we have the ability to bring people back together again over a family table,” he said.
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In addition to his longtime work supporting service members, and military families, Irvine is a restaurateur and television personality known for hosting Food Network’s “Restaurant: Impossible.”
Around his family’s dinner table, it’s “phones down,” he said.
“We communicate, and that’s what I’ve got going on with the military right now, which is amazing to see,” he added.
The chef said the work is about more than getting a healthier meal on a plate. It also involves helping families understand food labels, planning meals, shopping on a budget and preparing dinner quickly after a long day.
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For families trying nutritious meals on a budget, Irvine recommends making a weekly menu and grocery list, then spending time prepping ingredients in advance.
“Planning is essential in everything we do,” he said. “Why not plan your ?”
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He said basic preparation â such as chopping an onion, boiling eggs or putting together ingredients on a quieter day â can make it easier to get a meal on the table in about 20 minutes.
For , the stakes can be especially high, and the Robert Irvine Foundation says on
