Free food at the Brewery

>> But there's no beer!

by SPANKY HOROWITZ

Last week I had the opportunity to visit a very special restaurant. It not only holds the distinction of being able to serve over 500 people in less than two hours, but also boasts guest-chefs on a weekly basis (last week: Nantha Kumar of Nantha's Cuisine).

Even when the kitchen isn't being overrun by celebrities or cooks from other restaurants moonlighting on their nights off, house-chefs Jean-Pierre Savoie and Sylvio Hache can cook up quite a storm.

My meal started with minestrone soup accompanied by bread and butter, followed by Malaysian chicken on rice with a vegetable stir fry topped with Nantha's special sauce. Dessert was a strawberry mousse topped with a yogurt sauce and chocolate shavings, washed down with a cup of coffee.

If that ain't already the cat's meow, get this: everyone eats for free at this place.

The restaurant I'm talking about also boasts a prime location within walking distance of the courthouses, many big businesses and the two big Montreal dailies (the Gazette and La Presse).

So far this sounds like a pretty enticing place to fill your empty belly, except for the fact that most of the bellies fed at this restaurant are way emptier than yours--and even though it's called a Brewery, there's no beer.

If you still are too dense to figure out where I'm talking about, then you should go down and check it out for yourself. It's easy to find, right next to Steve's music store, and there's always a line long enough to put any chic downtown or Plateau club to shame.

It's called the Old Brewery Mission, and they've been serving the destitute since 1889.

I went down to the Old Brewery a couple of weeks ago to serve meals and have a chat with the head honcho himself, Reverend Robert J. Warren. He isn't your typical Reverend, although I haven't run into that many reverends, mostly because I eat gefilte fish on my communal wafers.

If you want to experience the Old Brewery Mission first-hand and feel good about yourself while helping others less fortunate than yourself, you might want to head down one night to lend a hand. Some businesses or groups of people (e.g. bands, baseball teams, families, coworkers) arrange to pay for and/or serve the meals.

The night I was there was organized by Nantha's Cuisine, who paid for the food and cooked it himself on his day off.

The restaurant then enlisted the help of some regular customers and friends, and even some guy who heard about it on the radio (CHOM FM) showed up out of the blue. We all had a good time and most of us are already planning a return visit, this time sponsored by the Montreal Plateau Press Club.

If you haven't got the $500 (for one night) it takes to feed the needy at the Old Brewery, you can donate food to the mission or volunteer your time.

If the Old Brewery Mission (915 Clark, 866-6591) isn't your style, you can call several other places than would be more than happy to take your food, money and/or time. There's the Welcome Hall Mission on St-Antoine (931-9879), the Patricia MacKenzie Mission for women (526-6446), the Mile-End Community Mission (87 Bernard W., 274-3401) and many, many others.

Reverend Warren asks only one thing: do not show up on Xmas Day. People are hungry ALL THE TIME, not just at Christmas. So make yourself a Christmas pledge: help out after the holidays. If you just can't wait, bring them some food or money. :

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