Some of Michiko Campbell’s Christmas dinner guests hug him and cry, and others are so grateful they won’t let go when they shake his hand.

The chef revealed how much that reaction touches his heart as he announced he would continue his tradition of serving festive meals to the needy this year.

On December 23, Mr Campbell, the sous chef at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, hopes to serve up to 800 people at Albuoy’s Point with a plate each of turkey, ham, cassava pie, rice or potatoes and vegetables — all seasoned with his popular Chiko’s Smokey Rub.

The event, hosted by his employers and backed by several sponsors, doubles up as a fundraiser for a charity or individuals in need. Announcing the event to the media yesterday, Mr Campbell, 26, spoke of the feedback he receives from guests.

“I couldn’t handle some of the reactions,” he said. “Some people wanted to hug me and cry, some were shaking my hand vigorously and didn’t want to let go because they were so appreciative about it.

“Some of the people on the streets, they say they can’t wait until next year — they say, ‘What you are doing for me is so awesome’.

“Often they don’t know where the next meal is coming from. When that comes back to me, I dwell on it a little bit, it hits a nerve and I get a bit of emotion. It is a good feeling for me because I’ve always had an open heart and I am a family person so I tend to always want family around.”

This year, Mr Campbell’s third Christmas charity event, support will come from Butterfield and Vallis along with other local groups and organisations. Butterball Turkeys agreed to supply all of the turkeys which could be close to 30.

The meals are targeted at those who are not in a good position financially and each individual is only allowed to take one meal.

In the past, the fundraising element has raised money for the Eliza DoLittle Society as well as an individual with cancer burdened with high medical costs.

“Thanks to the support of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club we have a location to cook. Also they backed us up when it came to hosting the event in the park. We get donated cakes, chips and cookies from BGA and we have about 40 volunteers that we spread around.

“The sponsorship alone is the best thing about it — we are not a recognised charity, we just do this out of the goodness of the business and out of the goodness of our hearts.

“We received sponsorship: some donate bags of rice, some a whole turkey. We had 25 last year — there were 15 pans of turkey.”

Speaking of the night itself, Mr Campbell added: “We tend to use all the elements around us and create a little atmosphere. We put Tiki torches around the whole park, we put lights up and we have a DJ playing Christmas music. There is a lot of preparation — I start prepping three days before. I make the cassava pie and roast the turkeys and on the day of we make rice, vegetables and potatoes.”

• The event is scheduled to run from 6pm to 9pm. Anyone who wishes to volunteer can contact Mr Campbell at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, or by calling 704-4566 or by e-mailing chiko_1989@live.com