#205 | Chef Andrew Gruel | Stepping Forward | Slapfish Restaurant Group

Chef Andrew Gruel stopped by The Protectors to talk about the ailing restaurant industry, raising money to support the industry, and advice for prospective chefs coming from the “protector” community.  Support of the restaurant industry goes beyond the physical building, keeping a restaurant open and afloat it supports the entire restaurant ecosystem, from the fisherman to the delivery truck driver to the entire support system.   There is a GoFundMe out now to help (link ).  The Protectors has donated $100, anyone that matches the donation will receive a Protectors T-Shirt* Thanks Chef for doing this! 

The Relief: All of the funds raised will be accepted by the organizers then re-distributed directly to restaurant workers, via checks and electronic platforms, who have either lost their job or are in need of a small leg-up to cover rent payments, medical bills, childcare or any other day-to-day help.

About the Chef: Andrew Gruel, a summa cum-laude graduate of Johnson & Wales University, is currently the Founder and Executive Chef of Slapfish Restaurant, the award-winning food truck turned international brick and mortar, based out of Huntington Beach, CA. Chef Gruel has taken Slapfish (bootstrapped!) from 2 food trucks to 10+ restaurant locations in just over 3 years.

Chef Andrew Gruel has appeared on multiple Food Network shows including his most recent role as a Judge on the show Food Truck Face Off. Gruel has also been on "TODAY Show", PBS, Cooking Channel, as well as in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, Men’s Health, Food & Wine Magazine, Entrepreneur, and Restaurant Business. In 2013 he was named top 40 under 40 entrepreneurs in Orange County. He is currently the host of a new restaurant makeover show set to air spring 2015 on a major network.

*(up to 10 t-shirts).