When David Beckham first toured the Ronald McDonald House in Columbus, and saw all of the specialty rooms and amenities available for families with children in area hospitals, he says he “fell in love with the community ‘feel’ and services provided” right away. But the parts that really made him fall in love with the House were the kitchen and family dining areas. That’s when he says he knew he wanted to bring his culinary talents to the table at RMHC of Central Ohio where he contracts with the House to help groups make meals. Now, we don’t want you to think the retired soccer superstar by the same name somehow found himself in Columbus, took a tour of the House, and decided to guide volunteer groups in making meals. Although that David Beckham is known to be quite a health foodie (and is reportedly in talks with The Food Network to be the channel’s newest celebrity chef), that’s not the David Beckham that we’re talking about here.
Our David Beckham might be considered more down-to-earth and many in Central Ohio know him as “being your food guy.” Chef David, as he’s known in our House, has always had a passion for connecting people with, as he puts it, “the real food that they don’t know they love yet.” He adds, “You’ll be surprised at how delicious real food can be, especially after you discover what you love.” He’s known around here for striking up a conversation with family members in the kitchen area to talk about food. In fact, he’s been overheard asking a kid about a particular healthy food and getting a “YUCK” for a reaction, and then getting an expression of pleasant surprise from that same kid after a sample of the concoction David’s made has been tasted. “I try to showcase all my love for culinary arts to each person that is staying at the House,” he says.
In addition to his culinary creations here at our Ronald McDonald House, Beckham is the founder of a personal chef delivery system called Simply Beckham, based in Columbus, which offers in-home delivery especially for weight loss, vegan, vegetarian, paleo, pescatarian, gluten free, or special allergy diets.
So, although you won’t find our David Beckham talking soccer while stirring up trouble on a TV food reality show any time soon, you and your friends might just find yourself under his guidance when you sign up to make a meal here at The Ronald McDonald House. To sign up your family, group of friends, work team, or organization to make a meal through our Team Cuisine program, click here or email Meika.Hilles@rmhc-centralohio.org.
