Crystal Wise
Taste Project
Nearly every media outlet in Dallas-Fort Worth waited with bated breath to see where Keith Lee was going to eat.
For the uninitiated, Keith Lee is no ordinary eater. The type of media attention usually reserved for U.S. presidents and Taylor Swift swirls around him as he blazes through the country, reviewing restaurants on TikTok and Instagram. With millions of followers, the Las Vegas-based foodie can give a struggling restaurant a popularity boost, helping them navigate through today’s often treacherous economic waters.
Lee’s North Texas visit in late January focused primarily on Dallas restaurants, including Thunderbird Pies, Hutchins BBQ, and Terry Black’s Barbecue.
Much to Jeff and Julie Williams’ surprise, though, Lee turned up at their Fort Worth restaurant, the nonprofit Taste Project in the Near Southside, on February 1.
“We had no idea he was coming,” Jeff says. “No restaurant does. He just shows up. Where he visits is all done by social media voting. He goes to the places that get the most suggestions. Unfortunately, I was out sick that day, so I didn’t get to meet him. But my wife did. She recognized him immediately from his other videos.”
Lee did not show up for a meal, though. As was widely reported, he was there to donate to the restaurant, which offers chef-inspired meals for pay-what-you-can prices. Lee donated $4,000, then posted a video about the restaurant and its mission statement.
“He said he wasn’t there to review us,” Jeff says. “He posted in his TikTok video that he didn’t want a review to get in the way of our message and our role in helping the community.”
Since opening in 2017 on South Main Street, the Taste Project has made a name for itself in both culinary and humanitarian circles. A 501(c)3, it has garnered local and national attention for offering high-quality breakfast and lunch dishes, handmade with fresh and seasonal ingredients, to those affected by food insecurity.
The restaurant is open to the general public, who are encouraged to pay what they typically would for a meal out, or a little extra.
The Taste Project is more than a restaurant. The name is an umbrella under which the Williams lead other forms of outreach and education for those in need.
This includes three tuition-free culinary job programs: a six-month Certified Fundamental Cook Culinary Pre-Apprenticeship program, which lasts six months and is geared toward those ages 18-24; the Fort Worx job training program, a 16-week program in which participants work at the Taste Project restaurant and at the Tarrant Area Food Bank; and a two-year Sous Chef Apprenticeship program designed for those interested in food service leadership roles. Graduates from each program receive certifications from the American Culinary Foundation.
The couple is also involved in urban farming, gardening and green space initiatives, and other ongoing projects.
Lee’s donation comes on the heels of a donation made by Texas Health Resources. The non-profit hospital system is giving The Taste Project $748,314, according to the Star-Telegram.
The donations are coming at a good time for the couple. The city of Arlington is helping them open a location at 200 North Cooper St., in a 1920s, city-owned building that was once home to the water department. The new location will include the pay-what-you-can restaurant, along with classroom space and additional culinary training programs.
Along with the city of Arlington, other local organizations are helping the couple with the costs of opening the new location, such as the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, the Amon G. Carter Foundation and, among others, Women Inspiring Philanthropy, Jeff says.
“The support has been unbelievable,” he says. “Arlington has been so supportive of what we do and what we want to achieve. We’d love it if Lee could come back someday. Maybe this time he could taste our food. I think he’d love it.”
The Taste Project, 1200 S. Main St., tasteproject.org
