Milton chef who figured out how to keep his staff during the pandemic nominated for the Nextdoor 100

MILTON, Ga. — WSB-TV and the Nextdoor app are partnering to celebrate the top 100 amazing neighbors across the country.

A Milton chef who figured out a way to keep every single one of his staff members throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is the next nominee for the Nextdoor 100 that Channel 2′s Heather Catlin spoke with.

Derek Dollar is the head chef and part-owner of Milton’s Cuisine and Cocktails.

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“Milton is a really tight knit community and we like to support the community with whatever we can do,” Dollar said.

Larry Wine is a long-time customer at Milton’s Cuisine and Cocktails and said that when other restaurants started to close, he saw Dollar go to work, which is why he nominated him as one of Nextdoor 100.

“Derek, along with some other key folks here,...were like, ‘Okay, we’ve gotta figure this out. We have to help them.’ So, they started messaging out to the community with a variety of clever things they were going to do,” Wine said.

The restaurant started selling to-go meals for the community, but they also began selling meat and fish to benefit the staff.

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Loyal customers not only bought what the restaurant was selling, but also set up a Gofundme for staff.

“And he was just the first one to jump in and to say, ‘I’m going right to the front of the line. How can I help?’ and his wife, as well,” Wine explained.

Dollar has been a chef for 20 years and says it’s extremely rare to have a small neighborhood feel in the metro area of a big city.

“We know their kids’ names, their dogs’ names, their birthdays and where they go on vacation, and, you know, we give to them and they give back to us,” Dollar said.

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The Nextdoor 100 will be announced on May 23.

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