Kirkwood chef cooking at home for donations while restaurants are shut down

KIRKWOOD, Ga. - Many local businesses are struggling to stay afloat during the shutdowns caused by the coronavirus, and that means the many employees of those businesses are facing the same financial struggles. 

One Thai chef in Kirkwood had a bright idea to keep himself busy while at home, help the community and support his family.

Narit Najarit McCrary, nicknamed Jun, moved to America from Thailand, and is living with a friend in Kirkwood.

"In high school in Thailand, I dreamed to myself I wanted to go to America," said Najarit McCrary.

He loves to cook and works at TukTuk in Buckhead. Now, that restaurant is closed, and he is out of work. But, he didn't want the closure to stop him from cooking.

"I'm like, 'Oh, I have to do something, you know, to pay my bills," he said.

He and his housemate thought of an idea: cook Jun's signature Thai dishes from home and if neighbors wish, they can donate to him for his time and talented cooking.

"That's one of the things I've been so happy to see in this Covid stuff, that so many people are reaching out and trying to support everybody and make sure everybody is taken care of during this unknown weird thing going on around us," said Jun's friend, Christy Burkett.

Jun can make several dishes for you: Green Curry with chicken with a side of Jasmine Rice, Pad Thai with Chicken or Shrimp and Tom Yum Soup with Shrimp and Roti bread. He is asking for a $10 donation per dish.

You can pick up the food at his house on Wisteria Way. Multiple neighbors came right at 5:00 p.m. when the orders were ready.

 "It's really nice to be on the neighborhood Facebook pages and all that to feel like we're still being neighborly even though we're not really seeing each other," said David Pippin, a neighbor who donated to Najarit McCrary for the food he cooked.

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Chef Jun said this is truly his calling in life and he hopes these meals just make people happy. "If I have an opportunity to give them something, it makes me happy to give to them, it's a good spirit for me to provide with my ability," said Jun.

If you'd like to place an order, please text Jun at 912-417-1722 and you can Venmo him @NaritNarajit-Mccrary by noon for dinner to be ready by 5:00 p.m. same day.