1 of 5
aye.creator
2 of 5
unknown
3 of 5
4 of 5
5 of 5
Culinary Care CEO Courtney Johnson knows connecting over meals creates core memories.
Whether she was finishing homework at the table watching family members cook or whipping up another rendition of her claim to fame — “stir-fry Fridays” — Courtney grew up valuing the comfort and connection that a good meal can bring.
That love originally found in her childhood kitchen has since grown into a national nonprofit that supports thousands of people undergoing cancer treatments. What was once an idea is now a 12-year-old operation that delivered more than $275,000 worth of free, restaurant-prepared lunches to 1,041 patients in both Chicago and Dallas last year.
Through Culinary Care’s growth, the current Southlake mom has learned great things start with small acts of kindness.
The Start Of Culinary Care
Courtney grew up in the Chicago suburbs, where she fondly remembers a childhood filled with nights cooking alongside her parents and younger siblings.
“We had the good fortune of living our lives centered around meals,” Courtney says. “Food has always been my love language, and meals were the focal point of everything we did.”
When her father was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer as Courtney headed into her senior year of high school, everything changed.
“He was the first person in my life I was close to that was going through this diagnosis in such an aggressive way,” Courtney says. “I knew people in our community who were navigating a cancer diagnosis, but it’s very different when it’s happening to you.”
While her family was with her dad in the hospital, loved ones brought them daily meals. Alongside countless lasagnas and casseroles, Courtney remembers one family dropping off a big pot of chili. Instead of leaving them with plastic cutlery, the family friends suggested they eat it using Tostito scoops.
Those small gestures gave Courtney’s family something to look forward to during an otherwise emotionally draining period.
“It changed the mindset of our day,” Courtney says. “We were excited to share this moment of normalcy and talk about something that wasn’t cancer.”
After Courtney’s father passed, she realized the world was not going to stop; she remembers sitting at the kitchen table studying for the ACTs while her mom planned her father’s funeral at the other end.
“There was a lot of time I wasn’t able to process how I was going to bounce forward and grieve,” Courtney says.
Courtney grew up volunteering for different organizations. She credits her parents for instilling the importance of giving back. After graduating from the University of Arizona with a BA in Communications and Creative Writing in 2011 and moving back home to Chicago, Courtney sought out opportunities to support people who had been diagnosed with cancer.
“I wanted to bring meals to people going through the same thing I did. Whether it was preparing the meal or getting it, I wanted everyone to have the level of support I had,” Courtney explains. “I found there was nothing that existed.”
After talking about the gap in support with her now-husband, the two considered how they could help. With her dad’s legacy in mind, Courtney founded Culinary Care in 2013 with a mission to nourish cancer recoveries through community support and good meals.
“My dad loved food and loved the experience of dining out,” Courtney says. “I was in a place to give back, and I wanted to be involved. I thought, ‘Let’s try to help one person, and we can keep building from there.’”
After filing for the organization’s 501(c)(3), Courtney reached out to local restaurants. She found interested vendors willing to donate dishes and put up flyers in cancer centers sharing a simple but powerful message: “Take the time to nourish and heal, let us deliver you free meals.”
It didn’t take long for the first participant, a woman who just moved to Chicago and was diagnosed with breast cancer, to sign up. Courtney hand-delivered the first meal in March 2013 during her day job’s lunch break. After a few days, Courtney sent a check-in email, and the woman responded with a four-page thank-you letter.
“She wrote, ‘your goodness, grace and kindness have restored my faith in humanity,’” Courtney remembers. “If that was the difference we could make with just one meal, I knew we had to keep going.”
With a proof of concept, Culinary Care grew slowly. In the nonprofit’s first year, Culinary Care delivered around 240 meals to 22 patients thanks to the help of three restaurant partners.
“We took it one person at a time,” Courtney says. “The biggest challenge wasn’t necessarily the logistics. Rather, it was having the confidence. There were plenty of times I questioned, ‘Why me? Am I the right person?’ Very early on, many people would pat me on the back and say, ‘Good luck. Call me in three years.’ But that only fueled me.”
As Culinary Care expanded, Courtney gained a deeper understanding of the significance of nutrition for individuals undergoing cancer treatment. According to a 2024 study published in Cancer Biology and Medicine, “approximately 20% of cancer patient deaths are directly attributable to malnutrition.” That, topped with the fact that studies indicate “loneliness may be associated with an increased risk of mortality in cancer patients,” pushed Courtney forward.
“This is more than a nice gesture; it has the potential to save someone’s life,” Courtney explains. “It’s easy to think of us as a meal delivery service, but that’s only half our name. We are a lifeline for our patients far beyond the food: checking in, making phone calls, writing birthday cards, making chemo care kits for people. We want them to see us as their neighbor and friend. Someone they can count on unconditionally for as long as they’re in treatment.”
After two and a half years of spreading awareness, building connections with treatment facilities, increasing the number of participants served, and delivering meals, Courtney joined Culinary Care full-time. In 2016, she hired the nonprofit’s first part-time driver. A few months later, Culinary Care received a grant from Tyson Foods, which supported the hiring of an additional employee. Today Culinary Care has 10 employees.
“Every year, we’re reaching at least 30% more families,” Courtney says. “We were very intentional about when we hire, when we make bigger investments, and how that helps families currently in our program and families who we know are waiting for our programs to reach them.”
In 2022, Courtney’s family relocated to Dallas for her husband’s work. Culinary Care’s board of directors always aspired to grow the nonprofit beyond the city’s borders. Having Courtney on the ground presented the perfect opportunity.
“Based on the requests we received nationwide, including from Dallas, we knew the need was there,” Courtney explains. “We always envisioned being national. It wasn’t a question of if, but when.”
She trusted the Chicago team she built to carry out the nonprofit’s mission.
“We have an incredible team on the ground in Chicago. They go above and beyond to ensure our families have one less thing to worry about,” Courtney boasts.
When Culinary Care looked to its 10th anniversary in 2023, Courtney set their most ambitious goal yet: deliver 10,000 meals — an 80% increase from the previous year.
“Being able to say that our team was able to hit this goal without my full-time presence, that was incredible to see as a founder,” Courtney says.
Bringing Culinary Care to Texas
When looking for where to establish roots in the Metroplex, Courtney’s family felt drawn to Southlake.
“The first time we were driving around, we noticed people would wave at us,” Courtney says. “That was not something we had experienced elsewhere. People just made us feel like we were a part of a community.”
After the young family settled in, Courtney established Culinary Care’s North Texas presence. With major Texas cancer centers just a short drive away from Southlake, Courtney knew she could make a difference for people undergoing treatment in Dallas.
Courtney found the same need in Texas, witnessing patients going through a day of chemo without access to quality food and needing more support. Most hospitals do not provide meal services unless you’re spending the night, and chemotherapy can consist of anywhere from four to twelve hours of treatment, leaving patients with limited options.
She found locals eager to join the team, like Kelly Kemp and Jim Yates, Culinary Care’s community relations and program managers, respectively. With their support, Courtney contacted treatment facilities and launched the program.
“Dallas has amazing restaurants and cancer centers committed to comprehensive care,” Courtney says. “The restaurant community has opened its arms to us.”
John McBride, the owner of El Vecino Tex Mex in East Dallas, was one of the first to join Culinary Care’s Dallas efforts. Kelly frequented the restaurant, with a fitting name that translates to “the neighbor” in English. When she told John about the nonprofit’s mission, he was immediately interested.
“We are helping satisfy people in their time of need with immediacy, which I really like,” John explains.
The process is simple: Kelly emails John a few days before the scheduled pickup with how many people they are looking to feed, and he fulfills orders. Patients select from the expansive menu; the El Cuenco Salad and Spinach Enchiladas are currently the most popular dishes. Kelly also sends John pictures, so he can see the impact.
“It’s seamless,” John says. “It’s nice to see people who have a lot on their plates simply just enjoy a different kind of meal.”
Breana Mobley, a licensed master social worker at Texas Oncology-Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center in Dallas, learned about Culinary Care last August and knew it would be integral to the facility’s patient care and improving patient outcomes.
“I was blown away with what I saw,” Breana says. “We know how pervasive food insecurity and isolation are to our patients for a number of different reasons, but there was nothing that addressed it.”
After going through the integration process, the nonprofit slowly began bringing meals to the cancer center. Now, Culinary Care delivers meals twice a week to those registered.
“It’s a night and day difference,” Breana says. “You can see [the patients’] body language relax knowing they have someone there who cares about them. And our patients get to pick what they get, which brings back a sense of autonomy – something that’s diminished while you’re going through cancer. ”
Kelly is now a known face at Texas Oncology-Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center.
”The team has a heart for the mission and dedicates the time to build relationships,” Breana says. “It’s just somebody who cares about you, who has a smile on your face, and who brings you quality food. But the impact cannot be overstated: It nourishes our patients on the basic level of needing food to fuel their body but also having that need for connection.”
Breana says Culinary Care has improved the sense of community amongst the patients.
“Having meals delivered encourages our patients to interact with each other more,” Breana says. “It’s like the food ends up breaking a barrier between the patients.”
Culinary Care recipient Sharhonda Deloach knows how Kelly’s smile can brighten up the treatment room. After being diagnosed with multiple myeloma during her pregnancy, Sharhonda began treatment at the Texas Oncology-Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center in January.
“I remember I was coming [to my treatment] alone because my support system was caring for my daughter,” Sharhonda explains. “In walks Kelly with her bright personality and bright smile. [Culinary Care] was one of the most painless and selfless things that’s entered my life at this time. It’s something that feeds not just your body but feeds your spirit.”
A Greater Impact
In 2024, Culinary Care delivered more than $270,000 worth of free restaurant-prepared meals to 1,041 patients, located across Chicago and Dallas, with the help of 15 restaurant partners. Courtney believes the nonprofit is on pace for an 88% increase in demand this year, with nearly 2,000 families seeking services. While the nonprofit has grown, Courtney strives to take a human-centered approach, so each individual feels valued. While she started the organization out of a personal need to keep her dad’s legacy alive, Culinary Care has blossomed thanks to the nonprofit’s supporters.
“In 2013, we didn’t have a program. We had an idea,” Courtney says. “The people, donors and volunteers have turned Culinary Care into what it is today.”
What once was a spark of an idea has grown into a national nonprofit changing lives. Courtney proves a single person has the power to transform someone’s day, outlook, and future with a small act of kindness.
“Courtney may never know how many people she has impacted,” Sharhonda says. “I am really inspired by her taking her pain and turning it into purpose. I can’t imagine how proud her family must be for what she’s started.”