Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles (OBKLA) marked its sixth anniversary with a three-day meal-prep event from August 18–20, drawing more than 300 volunteers to package fresh meals for Angelenos facing food insecurity. Co-hosted by Ashlee Margolis and The A List, the event brought together celebrities, entertainment executives, creatives, influencers, and reality stars for a hands-on day of service.
Notable attendees included actors Ashley Tisdale, Katharine McPhee Foster, Rachael Leigh Cook, Elizabeth Röhm, Andy Buckley, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Elizabeth Tulloch, Zoe Lister-Jones, Eva LaRue, Lindsay Sloane, Holland Roden, Yael Grobglas, Amit Rahav, Karolina Wydra, Lexi Underwood, Emily Arlook, Nicholas Duvernay, and Molly Stern, plus comedian Jeff Ross. Also present were the cast of NBC's All American — Greta Onieogou, Michael Behling, Monet Mazur and Samantha Logan — along with Love Island stars JaNa Craig, Olivia Walker and Pepe Garcia, and Shahs of Sunset's Reza Farahan.
Industry guests included United Talent Agency's Blair Kohan, Jacob Fenton, Rene Jones, Rachel Arlook and Lesley Silverman; Untitled Entertainment's Ashley Josephson and Katie Rhodes; makeup artists Monika Blunder and Sarah Uslan; digital creator Montana Tucker; podcaster Ryan Weiss; Noor Pahlavi; NBC's Chip Sullivan; and Entertainment 360's Darin Friedman and Eric Kranzler.
Beyond the star power, the event underscored OBKLA's mission. Since opening, the organization has produced more than one million baked goods and hundreds of thousands of fresh meals — including 30,030 meals and 37,400 baked goods in July alone, made possible by 2,180 volunteers who donated 4,278 hours across 46 groups (16 of them corporate teams).
"Our goal isn't simply to prepare more meals; it's to bring more people into the work of serving others," said Co-Founder and Executive Director Yossi Segelman. "Every volunteer session strengthens our community while helping ensure that thousands of Angelenos receive fresh, nutritious meals."
Looking ahead, OBKLA is expanding its corporate partnership program, positioning volunteer sessions as an alternative to the typical happy hour or team-building outing. "We look forward to welcoming more corporate teams to swap standard happy hours for hands-on, high-energy service that feeds the soul of our city," Segelman said.
Image credit: Erik Voake
