What’s Cookin’ in the Heartbeat Denver Kitchen?

What’s cookin’? Heartbeat Denver Chef Bridges Baxter responds with a slow smile, “Love … and requests from the guys!”

HBD’s meal program (breakfast, M-F; dinner, 7 days/week) provides home-cooked, nourishing, stable meals for residents. A bonus: sack lunches, donated by a multitude of volunteers, are also provided at no charge. 

Food for the spirit – in the form of deep encouragement – is another Baxter specialty.

Guys come up at breakfast: ‘Hey, Chef, I got a job interview today!’

‘That’s great’ I say, and they know when they come back that night – ‘Chef, I got the job!’ – I’ll be right there with them, so thankful.

Chef Bridges Baxter

A Kitchen Transformed

Baxter gives a sense for the evolution of his food ministry, “In my late 30s – 15 years ago – I ended up cooking dinner for the New Genesis men (HBD’s predecessor operating the shelter). I always thought, ‘I’d love to turn this kitchen into something inviting.’ I prayed about it, I was always looking for a way to serve the homeless.”

Executive Director Bruce Heagstedt caught the vision, and in late 2024 helped Chef Baxter begin to implement improvements.

Today, the sparkling clean cooking, serving, sink, pantry, and storage areas are in tip-top condition. Baxter welcomes the unexpected, to say the least, in his day-to-day meal planning: “The day before, I go through donations, what I have on hand.” He works with his assistant, Travis, to evaluate options and craft menu offerings. A recent donation from Chick-Fil-A became chicken parmesan, one of many transformations.

Baxter reflects, “It’s working so smooth, just what I wanted it to be. Bruce believed in me, followed my visions. You feel better when you walk in here; you get the atmosphere of home.”

Our Partnership with We Don’t Waste

We Don’t Waste is a local non-profit that started with a simple question: Why should businesses throw away perfectly good food while people in our community are going hungry?

It is the main source for HBD’s groceries. Central Presbyterian Men’s Group and Baxter head to WDW each Friday, scouring the options and transporting goods back to Heartbeat. It’s feast or famine at We Don’t Waste: high on Chef’s wish list is a walk-in cooler/freezer that could store larger quantities often available at WDW, but beyond HBD’s current capacity.