11 Apr Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Hedley & Bennett Wake Up & Fight Masks

In Los Angeles, the mayor has urged us all to wear masks when we are in public. Around the country, everyone is looking to protect themselves as much as possible when they have to go to the market. With a shortage of N95 and medical masks in the market and the need for any of those masks to go to first responders, those who are working in markets or restaurants or are “sheltering in place” and are “non-essential” workers need to find solutions. That is why the Hedley & Bennett Wake Up & Fight Mask is the Please The Palate pick of the week. If you are a fan of the show Top Chef, you may have noticed that this season they are all wearing very cool, fashionable aprons marked by the ‘&’ symbol. These aprons are produced by Hedley & Bennett and are worn by top chefs around the world, as well as home chefs. But with the need for masks, Hedley & Bennett has shifting their business to produce face masks. A lot of companies are making face masks and there are patterns online to make your own. But, here are the six reasons why I love the Hedley & Bennett Wake Up and Fight Mask:

1. Hedley & Bennett is a woman-owned, local Los Angeles business. Everything is made by hand in Los Angeles. So, shopping at Hedley & Bennett supports a local business.
2. Hedley & Bennett uses only top-notch fabrics for their aprons and that same fabric is being used for the Wake Up and Fight Masks.If you have to wear a mask, why not wear one with a cool fabric or pattern.
3.  Hedley & Bennett consulted with Dr. Robert Cho, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at a local children’s hospital to develop the reusable, protective mask.
4. The Wake Up & Fight Mask is designed to be used WITH a filter. You can use any kind of HEPA filter, such as a vaccum cleaner bag, air conditioner filter or air purified filter. You can also use a coffee filter or other similar papers if that is what you have. Hedley & Bennett provides a template to cut the filter to fit into the mask for one-time use. (Hedley & Bennett has partnered with a company called Think Crucial for face mask filter bags).
5. The Hedley & Bennett masks are reusable. They can be washed and new filters can be inserted.
6. For every mask you buy, one will be donated to a hospital, healthcare institution, doctors and first responders. To date, 100,000 masks have been donated and are heading out to hospitals and front line workers.

While the Wake Up & Fight Mask is not a replacement for N95 or surgical masks, and they are not FDA approved, we need to cover our faces and these masks are perfect to do just that! High quality fabrics, cute patterns, filter inserts and giving back to the community are all the reasons why the Hedley & Bennett Wake Up & Fight Mask is the Please The Palate Pick of the Week.