Cooking with love to feed those in need
By Lake Morris
Bobby Hardman, in his dark green apron, is stirring a pot of simmering navy beans at the Anderson Emergency Soup Kitchen, his glasses fogging and sweat on his forehead beading. Hardman is pressed for time.
He has an hour to get the rest of the food prepared to feed about 200 homeless and less fortunate people at the soup kitchen on Franklin Street.
At 62, Hardman has traveled many miles in his life and learned a lot, and all that helps him make hot lunches Monday through Friday while overseeing the well-kept soup kitchen that serves about 1,000 meals a week.
He grew up in Greenville and says his grandmother and two aunts reared him, though his parents were around.
"My grandmother was just one of those women who wanted to raise me," Hardman said. "I had three sisters and two brothers, and she just wanted to take care of me."
Being with his grandmother and aunts also laid the foundation for his cooking.
"I was in the kitchen with them a lot. They were really good at cooking," he said.
It was either learn how to cook or go hungry, he said. But it wasn't until Hardman moved out and was on his own that he really learned how.
"I kind of taught myself," he said. "I took my grandmother's recipes and added my own twists to them."
Hardman joined the Army at 18 during the Vietnam War working with trucks in Germany. That gave him the chance to sample all the German cuisine, and that opened his eyes to even more food and ways of cooking that he uses in the soup kitchen.
Hardman returned to the Upstate, got married and had a family, and worked for German chemical company BASF for 26 years before retiring in 2002.
But that didn't last long. He said he began volunteering at the soup kitchen.
"I still felt like I had a lot of help to give, and I wanted a way to still stay active and socialize with people," he said.
But soon, the cook Hardman volunteered under retired, leaving a void in the kitchen.
"When that happened, I was like ‘I can cook,' and I submitted an application to the board."
Board member and kitchen volunteer McLester McDowell said Hardman passed a test with flying colors.
"He came in, made food that the people liked, and it seemed like a good fit," McDowell said.
Six years later, Hardman is firmly behind the stove and the kitchen's pantry is fuller than ever.
"We have been very fortunate," Hardman said. "We have a lot of caring churches that bring in canned food. The United Way and the Rainey Foundation also help out a lot."
McDowell says Hardman's best attribute isn't his cooking, but his good nature and his willingness to listen to criticism.
"A lot of cooks I know are easily offended when people are critical of the food. But Bobby, he accepts criticism," McDowell said. "If somebody says something about the food, he'll listen. That has helped him grow a lot as a cook."
But Hardman directs most of the success to the volunteers and donors.
"We got a lot of generous groups here that help make sure our pantry is full, and donations help us a lot as well," he said. "I also got great volunteers. Most of them come every day, and they want to be here."
Anne Heller, who has volunteered for three years, says it isn't all work and no play.
"We have a good time doing this with each other," she said. "He likes to tease me, but I get right back at him."
Hardman treats the soup kitchen like a restaurant, paying close attention to health codes and making sure he makes varied menus for two-week spans.
"For one week, I'll maybe have beef stew one day, spaghetti the next day, and the other days we'll have roast beef, turkey or pork. In the warmer months I get even more options because I can use the grill and do hamburgers and hotdogs," Hardman said.
"What I like to do is make sure it doesn't get old. A lot of places go on weekly schedules, and the people get bored with the food," he said.
While Hardman has had to take it a little easier because of some health reasons, he has no intention of slowing down. "I'm going do this as long as my body will let me. I like my job," he said.
"I was taught you can put any spice, any herb in the dish to make it taste good, but if you don't cook with love, the food just won't taste as good."
Bobby Hardman, cook at the Anderson Emergency Soup Kitchen, prepares hot lunches Monday to Friday for Anderson's homeless and underprivledged. He is not just the cook, he also oversees the unpkeep of the kitchen, making sure it follows health standards.
