Foo Fighters‘ frontman Dave Grohl knows how to give back.
The Foo Fighters lead singer recently supported the Los Angeles-based non-profit Hope the Mission by barbecuing to help feed the homeless for 24 hours, PEOPLE reported. With the help of some friends, Grohl cooked 500 meals for three shelters in Los Angeles, according to the outlet.
Grohl prepared smoked brisket, ribs, pork butts, and side items like coleslaw and barbecue beans using a smoker trailer as well as the kitchen at the Trebek Center, a skating rink turned homeless shelter supported by the late Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, on Feb. 22, the outlet reported. Grohl also covered all the expenses and continued to cook meals amid a storm that hit California.
Hope the Mission’s Director of Development Grace Ancheta shared what the 54-year-old Foo Fighters lead singer’s gesture meant to the non-profit with TODAY.com.
“He arrived around 3 in the afternoon, and then he was in our kitchen. He was prepping the meat, he was cutting it up and he was there until he put it in the smoker,” Ancheta said.
“The meat didn’t go into the smoker until midnight that night because he’s like, ‘Oh, it has to season and it has to do this.’ He’s definitely a craftsman when it comes to that, and then he spent the night,” she added.
‘Very Gracious’
Ancheta also explained how Grohl worked amid the inclement weather in order to meet an important deadline, as Hope the Mission typically serves dinner at 6 p.m. Ancheta said Grohl served and took pictures with the non-profit’s guests.
“He actually served to our guests, he came out and was very gracious and took pictures with the people that recognized him. He wanted no glory for it, he was like, ‘I just want to do this for you guys and give back in that way.’”
“Whenever he comes off of work or anything else, that’s what he wants to do. He wants to cook for people,” Ancheta revealed, saying Grohl’s cooking was “amazing” and “the best barbecue we’ve had.”
‘The Coolest Video Ever’
Of course, Ancheta wasn’t the only person who took note of Grohl’s kindness.
Hope The Mission’s President and CFO Rowan Vansleve posted a video of Grohl cooking on Instagram. In the post’s caption, Vansleve explained that he and the non-profit’s CEO Ken Craft were on a 350-mile run to end homelessness when they received a good luck video message from the Foo Fighters singer.
“And in the middle of our 350-mile run to end homelessness, we got the coolest video ever from Dave Grohl, of the Foo Fighters,” Vansleve wrote. “Not only did I wish us luck, but he cooked for hundreds of people who live in our shelters in the middle of one of the worst storms.”
“Nothing but love and respect for Dave,” he concluded the post.
‘You Create A Recipe as You Would A song’
Grohl’s love of barbecue is not new. The Foo Fighters lead singer wrote about how he discovered his love of barbecue after breaking his leg while on tour in an essay for Bon Appetit back in May 2019.
“The process of making music is a lot like cooking for a crowd: You create a recipe as you would a song,” Grohl wrote. “You prepare a meal as you would record in a studio. And you serve it as you would perform live. When people come back for seconds, well, that’s your encore.”
Grohl enjoys making barbecue so much that he’s actually started his own catering company, Backbeat BBQ.
“I didn’t want to open a restaurant, but I did want to pull up at a Slayer show or a Harley dealership or a church or the L.A. Food Bank benefit and cook. It’s kinda cool that I’m able to do that — and it’s f—ing fun!,” he said of the venture.
Barbecue ventures aside, Grohl and his fellow Foo Fighters will be playing three headlining shows this year on May 24 in Gilford, NH, on Jun. 14 in Rogers, AR, and on Jun. 16 in Pelham, AL, according to a recent press release.
The band will also be playing festivals including Bonnaroo, Boston Calling, Harley-Davidson Homecoming and more.
Fans can purchase tickets for the band’s three headlining shows on Mar. 3 beginning at 10 a.m. HERE.
