Prince George's County chef temporarily shutting down restaurant to help feed community in need

Prince George’s County chef filling community need

All throughout the pandemic, we’ve been talking about bars and restaurants closing down due to financial issues. Well, how about a story of a Prince George's County restaurant that shut its doors in order to feed more people.

TEMPLE HILLS, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - It’s a special day for Chef Jordan of Jordan's Bistro in Temple Hills.

It’s his last day open for a while. He’s temporarily shutting down because of the pandemic.

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Don’t look for a sob story though –– he’s shutting down so he can open up for his community.

Chef Jordan opened up Jordan's Bistro two years ago with the idea to get kids off the street and put food in their bellies.

That's when his community started to take notice.

"The church on Southern Avenue in Southeast, Bishop Staples... he called me and said we would like to partner up with you," Chef Jordan told FOX 5.

All over Prince George's County, Chef Jordan began feeding kids.

Then the pandemic happened, forcing him to shift his focus to another struggling group –– his community’s older population.

“I pay it out of my pocket. I remember when I was poor at the end of the day... when my mother didn’t have money and things of that nature, so how did I eat?” said Chef Jordan.

With help from church groups and other community members, Chef Jordan says he made the decision to close up shop and spend the next five months delivering his signature tacos and other meals to the people who need it most.

“Like a women’s shelter.... we might pop up there. We might pop up at a homeless shelter for men. We might just do whatever. It’s about giving back to the community," said Chef Jordan. "This is a village of people and we need to help each other, you understand?"

Community members aren’t the only ones helping him out, Chef Jordan told FOX 5 he’s in talks with county administrators in order to secure a grant that would help this effort even more. Until then, he says everything has been paid out of pocket.