Yogurt parfaits, carnitas burrito bowls, hearty bolognese, rigatoni with vodka sauce and braised chicken thighs, and Japanese curry. No, this isn’t the lineup at a hot local restaurant or the menu for a fancy dinner party. It’s what local food content creator Britt Parnell is cooking up to stock Baton Rouge’s community fridges.
What started as a social media challenge to raise awareness about food insecurity has turned into a new passion for Parnell, who spends his weekends whipping up 50 meals to bring to fridges in Mid City.
Parnell says he wishes he knew about Baton Rouge’s community fridges when he was unemployed and living in a hotel. He hopes by posting videos of his prep he can inspire others to give back while also letting those in need know of this valuable resource.
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“Once I found out about (the fridges), I immediately went to The Red Shoes last November and cooked in their kitchen,” he says. “I cooked about 50 pasta dishes, and I really got a lot of fulfillment out of that. … I just don’t like thinking about people eating how I ate. I would put salt and red pepper flakes on ice cubes and call it dinner, and I could’ve popped down the street and grabbed a can of beans.”
Parnell started this project of filling the community fridges just a month ago after wanting to freshen up his content, which previously focused on sharing recipes. It all started with a simple goal to make as many meals as the number of shares his videos received. Over 8,000 shares later, Parnell decided to commit to a donation of 50 meals per week for a calendar year, though he says he will probably extend that timeframe to keep the project going for longer.
“We definitely look forward to (making the meals),” he says. “I’m having so much more fun filming this sort of content than I was with recipe content.”
Prep usually starts Sunday morning, or on Saturday if something needs to be marinated or made in advance. With limited kitchen and counter space, Parnell’s bulk meal-making stations spread across all available surfaces. His partner, Holly Liner, helps create labels for the meals, assists in the assembly line, handles the occasional chopping and takes care of cleanup.
After the meals are boxed up in plastic to-go containers with cutlery attached, Parnell and Liner load up their car and head over to the community fridges on Government Street, located at The Red Shoes and Yes We Cannibal. The 50 meals are divided between the two fridges and labels are added to list out ingredients and allergens. Parnell says none of the plates have lasted longer than 12 hours in the fridges.
“I proposed to Britt that we should start making meals, because (the fridges are) really close to our house too,” says Liner, who works at The Red Shoes. “There’s always a need. The food gets taken so fast. And, Louisiana is No. 1 in food scarcity.”
Parnell tries to make the dishes he donates a little more elevated by adding components, like a homemade blackberry lime sauce to his parfaits or braised chicken thighs to to his vodka sauce and rigatoni. He takes the extra time to think of recipes that focus on nutrients and protein and even considers the weather: soups and comforting curries for colder nights and cool, refreshing yogurts for warmer days. He tries to be mindful of allergies and dietary restrictions at the same time. He plans to create flyers to put up around town letting the community know what will be stocked.
Parnell came from Richmond, Virginia, to Baton Rouge about four years ago to enter rehab. While in treatment, he discovered his love for cooking and would prepare meals for the men he lived with. Inspired by Liner and a ring light he was gifted by his sister, Parnell decided to start posting recipe content on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube about two years ago. His accounts now have over 35,000 followers and his content has millions of views with tons of comments, likes and shares.
Every dollar he makes as a content creator is put into making meals for the fridges. Parnell says that the growth of this project depends on his social media following and the engagement he receives on his videos. More followers, shares, comments, and likes also help brands and restaurants take notice and get involved.
Brands like Misfits Market and Instacart have already sponsored Parnell’s videos by donating to his grocery hauls. He also plans to stock the fridges with holiday meals and hopes to get businesses like Butterball on board. Parnell says he’s also open to collaborating with local brands, creators and restaurants for this project.
Since starting his mission, he’s gotten a few new followers from the Capital Region and comments from locals expressing that they didn’t know about the community fridges and their resources.
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Parnell wants to grow this project further by ensuring the state has more community fridges and by creating awareness about them. He says he would like to take the project on tour to visit other cities and eventually hopes to turn it into a nonprofit that provides community fridges in cities across the country. He also wants to use his platform to support the local addict community.
“Cooking content started feeling really stagnant and not good anymore, so we decided to transition to full-on philanthropy,” Parnell says. “(This project) is snowballing and becoming a pretty big thing. … I really think this can be a movement and make a huge impact.”
Follow Parnell on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms to keep up with his weekly mission of filling the local community fridges.