Warren Schueler (on the left in the purple t-shirt) is a 74-year-old, former culinary instructor. After Superstorm Sandy, he became involved with a “soup kitchen” (yes, that’s that they call it) at the St. Mark’s Center for Community Renewal in Keansburg, NJ. Keansburg was hard hit by Sandy and six years later is still recovering from the storm.

With his two assistants Pam and Gary, he started preparing lunch for 75+ hungry homeless and down-on-their-luck individuals every Tuesday. But there’s a twist – all of the meals he prepares are high-end gourmet fare. When the Second Act Stories visited St. Marks, the meal he prepared was coq au vin, sour cream sage mashed potatoes and a green salad – not your typical “soup kitchen” fare.

“The people are so appreciative,” according to Schueler. “I get a thousand times more than I give.”

We hope you’ll listen to the 17-minute podcast about Warren’s second act. Or check out the six-minute video of the story below.

Second Act Stories is a podcast that shares the stories of people who have made major career changes to pursue more rewarding lives in a second act. You can subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, GooglePlus or wherever you get your podcasts.

Published: April 8, 2019