Photo By Capehart
Doug Barg never planned to become a chef. While studying psychology at Boston University, he applied for a job waiting tables on nights and weekends, but with no openings in the front of the house, he accepted a position in the kitchen instead.
As fate would have it, this pivotal moment led him to a fulfilling career with several forks in the road. In New England and South Florida, he has worked at high-end restaurants, luxury resorts, an organic food co-op, a grocery store and even taught at a culinary institute, despite never attending culinary school himself. Now, at 58, he has finally overcome impostor syndrome and knows he’s right where he is meant to be: culinary director of the Palm Beach County Food Bank in Lake Worth.
Barg, along with his staff and team of volunteers, prepares, packs and delivers 2,000 meals a day to food-insecure children and adults in Palm Beach County. He draws on his fine-dining background when groups book private events in the new Premier Kitchen, and he has launched a culinary training program that equips adults with job and entrepreneurial skills, helping them build successful careers in the culinary world.
“Meaningful work is the meat of the sandwich for me. I love that I get to impact lives for the better and help people not be hungry,” the Royal Palm Beach resident says. “I get to scratch every single itch that interests me. There are so many cool, engaging things that keep me energized.”
Barg is still searching for the secret recipe to stamp out hunger, an issue that often goes unnoticed in Palm Beach County, where more than 192,000 people are considered food insecure. While he’s doing serious work, he keeps things lighthearted and fun by embracing his playful side and belting out Big Band songs for the amusement of those around him.
“The volunteers call me ‘The Singing Chef,’” he says with a laugh.
Barg is just as dedicated a son as he is a chef. After years in Vermont, he traded the slopes and snow for sand and sun in October 2023 to care for his aging father, who the Smithtown, N.Y., native says has “always been a model of manhood and fatherhood.” At a gathering of friends earlier this year, Barg recalls his father raising his glass and saying, “To my son, who is also my friend. I’m doubly blessed.”