COMMUNITY PROFILE COMMUNITY PROFILE GROUND BEEF & RICE DAVID BONDARCHUCK, SCRATCH CATERING If you're short on time, or operating on a limited budget, this easy-to-make dish is one of David Bondarchuk's go-to recipes. INGREDIENTS: ☐ 1 pound ground beef (cooked in a pan until browned — I use 80% and drain the fat, you may substitute ground poultry as well) ☐ 2 cups dried white long grain rice rinsed, drained, and cooked to package directions. Hint: To rinse rice, fi ll a bowl or pan with water and add rice, use your hand or spoon to swirl around the rice — notice the milky starch coming off the rice?! Rinse the rice & dump out the water reserving the rice in the bowl or pan until water is clear! ☐ 4-6 washed green bell peppers (may also use red, orange, or yellow) cut tops of peppers ½ inch from the top straight across clean out the seeds and inner ribs of the peppers. Reserve the pepper tops and discard the stems. Dice the bell pepper tops but just the fl esh! ☐ ½ yellow or white onion diced ☐ Salt and pepper to taste! STEPS: 1. While your ground meat is cooking, add the diced onion and bell pepper tops and cook until meat is browned and cooked through. Drain the grease and discard. Add cooked rice to the meat and mix, season with salt and pepper. 2. Using a large tablespoon spoon add the mixture to the cleaned peppers and stuff them full. 3. Any left over meat and rice mix save for a later meal or lunch in a leftover container. 4. Bake at 350º until peppers are softened but not yet falling apart. 5. May top with a slice of tomato or shredded cheese if you have it on hand or eat as is! Tip: You can make this recipe vegetarian by substituting black beans and corn (1 can each rinsed and drained) for the meat, and season with some pre-made salsa or a splash of hot sauce cookies, and they paid me, and that’s when I kind of realized, ‘Oh, wow, I can actually make money doing this thing I love.’” Informed by his own life experiences, Bondarchuck makes caring for others one of his top priorities. “I’m interested in helping others succeed because we’re all successful through other people’s successes,” he said. This attitude is exemplified by the more-than-competitive wage he pays his employees — which is $25 an hour. “A lot of companies aren’t really there to help their employees; they’re there to help themselves. And I don't believe in that. Whatever company becomes successful should be sharing the rewards,” Bondarchuck said. Having experienced years of bullying, abuse, and homelessness as a youth, Bondarchuck offers this advice to anybody experiencing what he went through: “Whether it’s finding housing or finding a job, keep working on bettering yourself. You have to tell yourself your goal every single day, and you have to make decisions that get you closer to that. Sometimes, these choices and decisions are hard…but life is hard. Nothing’s magic — nothing’s Disney. But, you know, baby steps.” At 15, when Bondarchuck visited the downtown Denver Public Library, he would spend his days reading Martha Stewart cookbooks, and he marveled at the "beautiful life" Stewart had cultivated for herself. Now, looking back at nearly 20 years of successful business, has Bondarchuck found this beautiful life for himself? “Absolutely,” he said. “Is life all diamonds and rosé? No, but we take our take our licks, and take our lumps, and celebrate when we hit the mark.” Find out more about David and his company at scratchcateringservices.com. His book, "From Scratch," is available on Amazon.com. ■ VOLUNTEER WITH US! We are looking for volunteers to help us at community events, or to assist with paper distribution and basic offi ce administration at our offi ce (989 Santa Fe. Dr.). If you are interested and would like to know more, contact us at program@denvervoice.org. September 2024 DENVER VOICE 7 DONATE YOUR CAR! Need to get rid of your car, truck, or motorcycle? Consider donating it to Denver VOICE. Call (855) 500-7433, or go to: careasy.org/nonprofi t/denver-voice. Your donation helps Denver VOICE succeed in its mission to provide individuals experiencing homelessness or poverty the chance towards a more stable life. The Denver VOICE empowers homeless, impoverished, and transient individuals by creating job opportunities through our vendor program. We facilitate a dialogue addressing the roots of homelessness by telling stories of people whose lives are impacted by poverty and homelessness and to offer economic, educational, and empowerment opportunities for the impoverished community.
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