Get to know Chef Dani

There’s a camp song that goes like this: “got along without ya before I met ya, can’t get along without ya now...” This lyric sums up how we feel about Chef Dani. We can’t imagine coming to work at CCMOW without them.

At the beginning of 2025, we welcomed Dani Schafer to our team. Read on to get to know Dani and learn about what it’s like to be a Chef at Coal Creek Meals Wheels (plus, an exclusive Chef Dani recipe!).

A Day in the Life

While many of us are still fast asleep, Dani begins preparing meals in the CCMOW kitchen. “I wake up excited for the day. Coffee, music, and good smells are filling the air by 6:00 a.m.” Shortly after that, volunteers file in, along with one amazing employee who handles packing out the meals for delivery. When they first started in their role, Dani knew that the CCMOW kitchen would rely heavily on the support of volunteers, but they were pleasantly surprised about “how wonderful it [is] to be surrounded by so many people with such good hearts.” There is “so much love and support” behind the help that our volunteers provide, Dani reflected.

“Because I have such strong and reliable help this enables me to begin preparation for the next day. This is when I'm roasting meats and processing fresh veggies." By 10:30, food has been sent out of the kitchen and is on it's way to our neighbors. Then, the kitchen finishes preparing for Cafe service at 11:30. "We serve 40-60 folks every day and get the joy of interacting with them. By 1pm we are wrapping up the day and heading home to our families.”

Mission Moment

Dani feels connected to the CCMOW mission on a deep level. “...we are all human beings. We need food, shelter, water and safety. Those are basic human rights and I know that I can truly make this community a better place by providing nutritious and delicious meals for folks in need. We live in a world where some have most and most have some-food is a basic human right and I feel we can all do just a little bit to make a large impact on the lives of our neighbors, families and friends.”

Pride Month Shout Out

Happy Pride Month! Chef Dani is celebrating this June “by living my best life out loud. I am celebrating 18 years together with my partner and best friend Jessica and together we will continue to leave the world better than we found it, despite the ugliness we see on a daily basis. I'd like to shout out to my colleagues, friends and fierce allies here at CCMOW who strive to make our world more inclusive and full of love. And my best friend and sister Erin, who has protected me for my whole life.”  

As promised, a Chef Dani Recipe

Lately, Chef Dani has loved making Shepherd's Pie for our neighbors. “It's delicious heart warming comfort food (and it freezes well for the winter when you don't want to cook!)”

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

1 large yellow onion, diced

minced garlic

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup beef broth

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 bag frozen soup mix veggies (carrots, peas, corn, green bean mix is best)

4 Tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup flour

mashed potatoes (instant or your favorite recipe)

salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder to taste

Instructions: 

1. Sauté onions on medium/high (in butter or oil) until they soften and turn translucent (about 5 minutes).

2. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Add flour to the onion/beef mixture and coat.

3. Add beef broth, tomato paste, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce-stir to combine and simmer on low until the broth thickens.

4. Prepare mashed potatoes. Add beef mixture to a glass baking dish and top with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese.

5. Bake for 30 minutes at 350.

You can check out Chef Dani's bio here.