Views from the Shore
By Brian Cahill
Earlier this month, a new dining option opened in the lobby of Shore Medical Center called the Salute Café. As the hospital’s marketing director, I was asked to meet the owners and then let our staff know about this new offering. When I met Al Lewis and Andre Murphy, I discovered something much greater than the items on their food menu. I learned that we have welcomed two true champions of the community into the Shore family.
Al and Andre grew up in the same circles in Atlantic City, but it was when they reconnected as adults that the magic happened. Al spent his career in the food and beverage industry, and Andre made a name for himself in marketing and entertainment, including producing the overwhelmingly successful Atlantic City Idol competition in 2005. One of the key ingredients of their success was their incredible passion for helping others and giving back to the community.
So when the two joined forces a few years ago, the combination of a food expert with a marketing guru proved to be a recipe for great success. Their creation? The “Healing for the Soul” organization and the Community Feeding Tour.
The Community Feeding Tour’s goal is to expedite food to communities, focused on reducing food insecurity. The organization has been on the frontline since the pandemic, providing hot meals to the homeless, seniors, low-income families, schools, and first responders throughout Atlantic County. More than 10,000 people have received nutritious hot meals from the Community Feeding Tour. In the past year and a half, the Community Feeding Tour has held 140 feeding events, feeding 11,000 people.
Healing for the Soul’s new feeding initiative is “Serving Our Seniors” which will bring awareness of food insecurity in the senior community. In addition to securing more than 30 sponsors, funding for the program will come from dollars generated from the Salute Café at Shore.
The Salute Café serves a variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner items, and it has quickly become a favorite of both staff and visitors alike. In addition to the popular loaded potato and pulled pork sandwich, the menu offers the signature “Murphy’s Chicken and Potatoes.” Andre offered me a taste of this dish and it was delicious – juicy and perfectly seasoned. (I asked him what made it taste so good and he told me that was a family secret that he would never tell!)
While based in the hospital, diners from all over can enjoy the food at the Salute Café via Door Dash or through advanced ordering. And for those working parents, the Salute Café can prepare full family meals for easy pickup for those on the go. To place an order, call 609.926.4363 or email salutecafe609@gmail.com.
To learn more about the Community Feeding Tour email info@communityfeedingtour.com and visit http://communityfeedingtour.com/
Brian Cahill is the Director of Marketing for Shore Medical Center. He is also on the Board of the Somers Point Business Association, an Adjunct Professor in the School of Business at Stockton University, and is a founding member of Somers Point-Community First, a local volunteer organization
