{"id":1984,"date":"2026-06-30T05:05:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T05:05:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1984"},"modified":"2026-06-30T05:05:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T05:05:24","slug":"retired-top-chef-competes-for-25k-to-feed-maui-homeless-shelter-residents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1984","title":{"rendered":"Retired top chef competes for $25K to feed Maui homeless shelter residents"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<section>\n<p>WAILUKU (HawaiiNewsNow) &#8211; A retired executive chef who has spent 45 years feeding people in need across the country is now volunteering at a Maui homeless shelter \u2014 and competing in a national cooking competition to raise money for the residents he serves.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1982\">First Alert Forecast: Enhanced trade showers Tuesday night into Wednesday<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Chef William London volunteers at Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center in Wailuku, where he cooks for shelter residents. <\/p>\n<p>He is currently entered in a nationwide competition called \u201cFavorite Chef\u201d and needs public votes to advance to the next round.<\/p>\n<h2>From Chicago streets to Maui kitchens<\/h2>\n<p>London said his commitment to feeding the homeless began at age 10, growing up in Chicago.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI seen a homeless man dead on the street, and I went and touched his body and he was frozen, and I cried all the way home,\u201d London said.<\/p>\n<p>That same year, he asked his mother for a Betty Crocker cookbook for Christmas and began cooking for people in need.<\/p>\n<p>He went on to work as a chef in cities across the country and served as a chef for the Marriott on Maui from 1989 to 1992.<\/p>\n<p>After the 2023 Maui fires, London said he felt called to return to the island to help.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1980\">Man arrested in connection with 2 Makiki bank robberies<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI Googled homeless shelters because I know every shelter has a kitchen, and I said, if they got a kitchen, they would love to have a retired executive chef working for them, and I came and I started the next week,\u201d London said.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018A passion\u2019 for volunteering<\/h2>\n<p>London said the reaction from shelter residents motivates him to keep going.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe smiles that I see on my customer\u2019s face. \u2018Oh, the chef is cooking chicken pot pie today!\u2019 And they just get so excited,\u201d London said. \u201cIt makes me feel really good. I love volunteering because it\u2019s a passion. So, if you\u2019re doing something that\u2019s your passion, you really never work a day in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shelter resident Ed Sensano said London\u2019s dedication stands out.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a privilege to have something like this. Because I\u2019ve been homeless for a while. I\u2019ve been on the streets,\u201d Sensano said. \u201cHe volunteers everywhere, and his time is very precious. I never seen a volunteer that goes out of his way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lahaina fire survivor Kalei Kaiaokamalie also expressed appreciation for London\u2019s cooking and said he hopes London wins the grand prize.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m totally stoked about it. I\u2019m totally glad that he\u2019s doing it and just glad to be tasting some of his fine delicacies here,\u201d Kaiaokamalie said.<\/p>\n<h2>How to vote<\/h2>\n<p>London entered the \u201cFavorite Chef\u201d competition against tens of thousands of competitors from across the country. If he wins, he will receive $25,000, which he plans to use to cook every shelter resident their favorite meal.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1979\">Popular Kauai trail temporarily closes due to ongoing repairs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Click here to vote for him.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Retired chef William London volunteers at Maui\u2019s Ka Hale A Ke Ola shelter and is competing in the national \u201cFavorite Chef\u201d contest to raise money and support residents. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Retired top chef competes for $25K to feed Maui homeless shelter residents - 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