Desarae is one of our most dedicated (and funniest) volunteers. She combines her love of comedy and cooking by sharing videos with her combined 610K+ followers on social media. Lasagna Love’s mission captured her heart, and she began delivering lasagnas to her community. With her infectious energy and enthusiasm, Desarae has inspired us, and we are grateful for her dedication to Lasagna Love and her many ideas that help so many people in the community.
Her first idea? Join other social media chefs for a 6-week cooking competition to raise money for Lasagna Love. During this 2023 event, Desarae helped inspire 100+ people to volunteer, raised over $2,000, and provided home-cooked meals to 1,600 people. Ultimately, Desarae created the “HomeChef Throwdown Competition” to help break the stigma surrounding asking for help.
Desarae then celebrated National Lasagna Day in July of 2023 by cooking lasagna for community members at Flower Power Cooking School in Pennsylvania. In just 2.5 hours, 43 volunteers prepared 500 meals. She partnered with local restaurants as distribution centers to provide lasagna to local families. She was overwhelmed by the response and grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community. We are grateful to Ragu for sponsoring this event.
Desarae met with Pennsylvania’s Governor, Josh Shapiro, to spread the word about Lasagna Love and help break barriers around food insecurity. She hopes her story of kindness and generosity will inspire more people to act and help those in need of a little kindness. She is determined to make a difference in her community and around the world.
Desarae’s 2024 HomeChef Throwdown kicked off on March 26th. Each week, 10 social media chefs competed for the title of Ultimate HomeChef. Her goal this year was to have 500 new volunteers and raise $6,000. Thanks to everyone who participated in HomeChef Throwdown this year, we raised over $25,000. During the first week of the competition, we had over 1 million views on social media. Each week, the chefs completed a different challenge. Challenges included Ragu Week (Kindness), Snack Attack (Microwave Only), Pantry Challenge, T-Rex Arms, Crockpot only, and many more. A different small business was highlighted each week as well. The ingredients from each small business were incorporated into the chef’s dish. Thank you to Crackerjack Shack, Shore Smoke Seasonings, Dude Network, Ms. Lena’s Biscuits and Preserves, Gindo’s Spice of Life, Terranean Herbs & Spices, Naijia Grille Spice Mix, and Berro’s Ranch for providing our chefs with amazing ingredients.
Desarae’s passion for cooking and helping others has inspired us all, and she has touched many lives. She has been a true advocate for Lasagna Love, and we couldn’t be prouder to have her as our 2023 Annual Star Chef. As well as being an unwavering source of support and strength, her passion is contagious. We are thankful for her dedication and all she has done for our organization. We are lucky to have her as a part of our family.
Please be sure to follow Desarae on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook for cooking tips and a whole lot of laughs!
https://www.instagram.com/cooking_comedy_chaos