GRAND ISLAND, Neb.—Art Epstien has a passion for cooking and for talking about food.
The 80-year-old retired chef is so full of stories, he has decided to share that knowledge with the residents of Hope Harbor.
“I just want to bring this to their attention and show them how easy it is and explain why I do it the way I do,” he said after preparing French toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the shelter’s kitchen.
Epstien will be showing the families who live at the homeless shelter how to shop and cook economically and how to cook one time for multiple meals.
“I love to cook. I like the gratification I get from cooking and from watching people eat what I cook. I just have this gift. I don’t know where I got it,” he said of his ability to improvise in the kitchen. “There’s that saying, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ I don’t like that saying. I like to say, ‘If it ain’t broke, make it better,’ and I strive for that.”
Barb Ernst, Hope Harbor executive director, said Epstien called the shelter about two months ago and said he wanted to volunteer.
“He’s so cool,” she said. “He’s just so fun.”
Epstien’s cooking background includes stints in the Army and the Air Force. He was a civilian command chef in the Air Force and traveled from base to base, teaching chefs and cooks at officers clubs and snack bars.
He was trained at the University of Omaha, which is now the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and received a degree in home economics. He also has a doctorate in dietetics.
“Which means I can cook,” he said.
A love of cooking runs in Epstien’s family. His dad, a Russian immigrant, was a cook in the U.S. Army during World War I. After the war, Epstien helped his father barbecue meats for other families.
Epstien has been working with Hope Harbor case manager Sadie Nielsen to plan menus and will be at the shelter on Wednesdays and Thursdays to share cooking tips with the residents.
Ernst said she’s looking forward to Epstien’s lessons and said he’s already coming up with ideas to best use donations the shelter receives, particularly fresh produce from local gardens.
“I think it’s going to be really good once he gets things going,” Nielsen said. “He’s excited.”
He’ll be sharing ideas on how to cook in simple, efficient ways while keeping healthful foods in mind.
Recently, Epstien visited Hope Harbor to prepare the sandwiches, which he calls his specialty. He said the egg coating is a way to add protein to the meal and toasting the bread helps hide the fact that it’s wheat bread from children who may not otherwise eat it. He also prepared his own grape jelly, using grape juice, sugar-free Jell-O and a few other ingredients, to cut back on sugar and to save money.
As he explained that the sandwiches freeze well and make snacks that are “healthy as the devil,” he dropped the bread in the eggs, narrating his movements.
“And a dippity do da,” he said as he coated the bread with egg and placed the sandwiches in a pan on the stove.
In addition to being able to show off his abilities, Epstien used his visit to get to know the kitchen and to test his ability to move around in it. A diabetic heart patient, Epstien uses an electric scooter to travel around but is able to stand.
He said he can’t take more than 10 steps without having difficulty breathing.
He added that his limited ability to exercise has led him to gain some weight over the years, but he believes his cooking style has kept him from gaining weight in excess.
“Less cholesterol, that’s how I keep my girlish figure, ha-ha,” he said with a sly grin. “Diet is a four-letter word. You should have a food management plan.”
Stories will likely be a part of Epstien’s cooking lessons.
Ernst and Nielsen both said Epstien loves to visit and socialize.
“He has a mastery of the language and he has some good stories,” Ernst said.
Nielsen said she agrees.
“He loves to talk,” she said with a smile.
