Top Scottish chef Peter McKenna announced that though The Gannet had been forced to close by the coronavirus, the restaurant's team were now looking to give something back to the city that they call home.
Picture: The Gannet
Launching a crowdfunder to get the project off the ground, Peter stated that he and his staff are hoping to raise £15,000 to go towards preparing, cooking and delivering healthy meals to those in isolation, vulnerable or unable to cook for themselves in this crisis.
Peter said: "We took the decision to close the restaurant on Sunday evening, this was an incredibly hard decision and not one we took lightly.
"We employ 23 people (full & part time) with the risk of infection to our team and guests coupled with the drop in booking and rise in cancellations we didn’t feel there was a choice.
"On the back of all this negativity we want to do something positive for our community, over 70’s in isolation, financially vulnerable and people struggling, community is extremely important at this unpredictable time."
The launch of the new service, which begins on Friday (20th March) will offer customers a selection of dishes with three courses for £20 per person with each sold helping to get a meal to someone in need.
To order people simply have to head to The Gannet's website where the new menus will be posted by ResDiary.
The popular chef added that all of the tasty, nutritious meals will be made using all of the amazing ingredients The Gannet's kitchen team usually use but in a "more homely fashion".
All of the dishes will be chilled for delivery meaning customers can heat them straight away or keep them for later.
Peter said: "We've done this kind of thing before with our Real Food Real Folk project so we know there are people out there that can benefit from this and we are in touch with a great group of charities and services who will be able to put us in touch with those that need it most.
"We are in touch with local community groups and Councillors and are hopeful we can have a wide reach and make a real difference with your help."
"There's a lot of uncertainty in the restaurant business just now and if we are going to go out we might as well go out doing something positive - creating wonderful dishes that put a smile on people's faces and helping those in our community that need it."
Peter said that the new service will both keep their core team active and earning a wage while making a real difference in the local community.
Peter added: "There is nothing worse than seeing a state of the art kitchen lying dormant when it could be put to good use.
"Our network has been incredibly supportive, Braehead foods are donating a refrigerated van for delivering the food in a safe manner and Ardunan farm have gifted us a whole rare breed pig."
The plan has received widespread praise from the restaurant's customers and supporters with people calling it a "fantastic idea" and wishing the team all the best with it.
At the time of writing the crowdfunder had already received nearly £1,000 and should you wish to donate, you can do so here: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/help-us-help-the-community
