Survival Center Says Goodbye To Philip Avila

For the past three years, community lunches at the Amherst Survival Center (ASC) have been under the direction of Community Meals Coordinator Philip Avila. This is Avila’s last week at the ASC. He is moving back to Southern California, where he is originally from. The Indy reached out to him about his experience at the Survival Center and about living in Amherst.

Avila said, “I moved to Amherst in the summer of 2018. I have been at the ACS since August, 2020. I was brought on to meet the rising demands of COVID-19 as the center was seeing their highest numbers at that time. My previous experience when I was brought on to the Center was 10+ years in the restaurant industry. The mission of the Center aligned with my values of social justice work, as at the time of my hiring I was finishing up my Masters in Sociology with an emphasis in social justice.” 

In addition to his work at the ASC, Avila has co-chaired the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and served on the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee (CSSJC). He said he moved to Amherst when his partner was accepted into the Clinical Psychology PhD program at UMass. She has now taken a job at a children’s hospital in California, so they are moving back. Avila plans to continue his DEI and social justice work in his new city.

The community lunches at the ASC have greatly increased in popularity during Avila’s tenure. Pre-COVID, the center served 60 to 80 meals a day. Now, it serves 350 to 450 a day, four days /week. In the past fiscal year, July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023 the Community Meals program served a record 120,054 meals. Avila stated that his goal at the Center was to “diversify the menu, so that whoever walks through the door can possibly get a taste of home.” He added, “It has been fun getting to be creative and planning a menu with donated ingredients. It is like being on an episode of the show ‘Chopped’.” The menus he creates draw on recipes that he has made throughout the years, some personal (family recipes) and some that he made at restaurants.  Three of Avila’s favorite recipes are provided below.

In addition to diversifying the ASC daily lunch menus, he continued, “I have also brought Cultural- and Heritage-month celebrations to the Center, such as Lunar New Year, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Irish Heritage Month, AANHPI Heritage month, Latinx Heritage Month, Polish Heritage month, and Native American Heritage month. The Center has seen many new faces come in because of these celebrations, and it has been a pleasure getting to hear people tell me that they enjoy seeing their culture being represented. Much like my work for the HRC with cultural celebrations, these events highlight the diverse representation that is in Amherst yet not seen or heard from. It has been a great hearing that people feel seen after these events.”

Avila said he will miss working with all of his respective colleagues from the ACS, HRC, and CSSJC. He concluded, “It has been a pleasure making change happen at the ASC and [in] the town, even though it can be difficult at times. I will also miss the seasons — but not the winter, haha. My time in Amherst has been amazing. I hope that the work I have done/started continues and the marginalized voices in this town have a place to be heard.”

The new ASC Community Meals Coordinator is Alan Callaham. He has a background in organic farming and fine dining, and has been a regular volunteer at the center.

The Indy wishes Avila the best in his new endeavors. Amherst is a richer place because of his efforts over the past five years. He will be missed.

A Sampling Of Philip Avila’s Favorite Recipes From The Survival Center

Doro Wat Butternut Squash Pasta 

Ingredients:

* 5 pounds chicken leg quarters (about 4), skinned

* 2 teaspoons kosher salt

* ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

* 2 large red onions, peeled and quartered

* 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and slices

* 8 cloves garlic, peeled

* ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

* 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek

* 2 ½ tablespoons berbere seasoning

* 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

Method:

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and set aside at room temperature.

2. Place onions, ginger, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until it’s a chunky puree.

3. Heat the butter and fenugreek in a large 8 to 10 quart Dutch oven set over medium-high heat.  Once the butter has melted, add the onion mixture and stir to combine. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is melted and caramelized (approximately 45 minutes).

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

5. Add the berbere and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, stir and bring to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Place chicken in the pot and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Cover and braise in the oven until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 1 hour.

6. Serve over butternut squash pasta.

Harissa Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients: 

For Harissa

1 garlic clove (whole)

1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, ground in a spice grinder (can be substituted for ground caraway)

1/4 cup olive oil

For the squash 

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves (minced) 

1 1/2 pounds butternut squash; peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoons water

Freshly grounded black pepper 

1/4 cup Harissa paste 

Instructions:

Step 1: preheat oven to 375F. Using the flat side of a chef’s knife, mash one whole garlic clove into a paste (This can be done in a spice grinder too). Scrape the garlic paste into a small bowl and stir in the tomato paste, lime juice and add a pinch of sea salt. 

Step 2: In a second larger bowl, toss the butternut squash with the minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of harissa paste, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, water and season with sea salt and pepper. Next spread the squash in a single layer on a baking dish and roast in the oven for about 1 hour. Squash should be tender and browned.

Roasted Greek Lemon Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes ( peeled and cut into wedges)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).


Step 2 

Put potato wedges into a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over the wedges and toss to coat. Season potatoes with salt, oregano, and black pepper; toss again to coat.


Step 3 

Spread potato wedges in a single layer on a sheet pan. Roast potatoes in preheated oven until tender and golden brown, about 1 hour.

Hawaiian Chicken Bar-B-Que

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless, skin-on chicken thighs

2 teaspoons garlic salt

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 scallions, white and green parts separated, greens roughly chopped

1 cup shoyu (soy sauce)

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled

2-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced and crushed Oil, for the grill

Instructions:

Place the chicken in a large shallow bowl or heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag and rub evenly with the garlic salt, turmeric, and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour in the fridge.

Using the butt of a knife, crush the white parts of the scallions and add to a small saucepan along with the shoy u, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

Measure out ‘ cup of the sauce for basting on the grill Pour the remainder over the chicken and marinate the chicken for another 2 to 3 hours in the fridge, or overnight, mixing once or twice.

Prepare a grill for high indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, push the coals to one side; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off).

Using tongs, oil the grates of the grill with an oiled rag or paper towels. When the grill is hot, set the chicken skin-side down on the direct heat side of the grill.

Once the chicken has some grill marks and releases easily from the grates, 2 to 3 minutes, move over indirect heat, still skin-side down, and cook, turning often and basting with the reserved sauce, until the juices run clear or a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 160°F, another 8 to 10 minutes.

Garnish with the scallion greens and serve.