Dave Grohl cooks hundreds of dinners for Los Angeles homeless shelter during winter storm
Grohl gives back FILE PHOTO: Dave Grohl performs onstage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. He recently cooked for more than 450 guests and 50 staff members of a Los Angeles shelter. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Ro)
By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Dave Grohl brought out the best of himself and was a hero to many during the unusual winter weather that blanketed the Los Angeles area last week.
Grohl brought his giant smoker and pounds upon pounds of brisket, ribs and pork butt to the shelter’s Trebek Center in Northridge, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Grohl trimmed the fat and prepped the food as the storm rolled into the City of Angels, cooking for more than 24 hours, according to Entertainment Weekly.
In the end, he cooked and served about 450 guests and 50 staff members of Hope the Mission, TMZ reported.
The shelter’s chief financial officer, Rowan Vansleve, shared photos of the musician-turned-cook on Instagram.
Vansleve is running 350 miles from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to raise $350,000 to pay for three new family centers and house about 400 families, The Los Angeles Times reported.
“He (Grohl) turns up at 6 p.m., and this meat truck gets delivered,” Vansleve told the newspaper. “And it’s like an obscene amount of food. It’s unbelievable, the guy spent thousands of dollars. And he is in there by himself in our little food-prep area, trimming the fat off [the meat], making sure every single one’s perfect. He’s got all of his mates together. They’re backing in these giant smokers.
“There’s this megastar walking around hugging and just loving on people. Then he starts to light all the fires at about 11 p.m., and this is when the massive storm hit. ... So he’s out there last Wednesday through to Thursday. So it’s pouring down, the area’s flooded. And he stayed out there from midnight until I think it was 6 a.m. when the meat stopped resting.”
Grohl took naps as he could in his trailer, but stoked the fires and visited with those at the shelter throughout the cooking process before calling his friends and family to help serve everyone.
The job wasn’t done when the food was gone. Grohl stuck around and deep-cleaned the kitchen and he asked to do it again, Vansleve told the Times.
Through the years Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl of Nirvana in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by KMazur/WireImage) (KMazur/WireImage)
Through the years Nirvana, portrait, Wien, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 31st August 1991. (Photo by Niels van Iperen/Getty Images) (Niels Van Iperen - niels.com/Getty Images)
Through the years Dave Grohl during Nirvana in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by KMazur/WireImage) (KMazur/WireImage)
Through the years Dave Grohl during 1994 MTV Movie Awards at Sony Studios in Culver City, California, United States. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc) (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)
Through the years CULVER CITY, CA - OCTOBER 28: Musician Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters performs on VH1 Storytellers on October 28, 2009 in Culver City, California. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images) (John Shearer/Getty Images)
Through the years BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 26: (L-R) Musicians Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and Steven Tyler attend CIROC Vodka at 20th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party at The City of West Hollywood Park on February 26, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Imagesfor CIROC Vodka) (Angela Weiss)
Through the years ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 18: Singer Dave Grohl and Mick Jagger perform at the 'Rolling Stones 50 & Counting Tour' at The Honda Center on May 15, 2013 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images for AEG) (Mark Davis)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 08: Recording artists Dave Grohl and Paul McCartney attend The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on February 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Davis/WireImage) (Mark Davis/WireImage)
Through the years INGLEWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 21: Musician Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters performs at the Forum on September 21, 2015 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Through the years GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND - JUNE 24: Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters performs on day 3 of the Glastonbury Festival 2017 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 24, 2017 in Glastonbury, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images) (Ian Gavan/Getty Images)
Through the years FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 22: Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters performs onstage during day 2 of the 2019 Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival on September 22, 2019 in Franklin, Tennessee. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival) (Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Pilgrimage Musi)
Through the years INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA: In this image released on May 2, Dave Grohl of music group Foo Fighters performs onstage during Global Citizen VAX LIVE: The Concert To Reunite The World at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Global Citizen VAX LIVE: The Concert To Reunite The World will be broadcast on May 8, 2021. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Global Citizen VAX LIVE) (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Global Citizen )
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 05: (L-R) Harper Grohl, Jordyn Blum, Dave Grohl, Ophelia Grohl, and Violet Grohl attends the 65th GRAMMY Awards on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording A)