Celebrity chef Robert Irvine believes family connection can begin with something as ordinary and essential as sitting down to eat. The restaurateur and television personality says shared food creates room for communication, care and a clearer view of what loved ones are experiencing.

Speaking from his Florida home, Irvine described food as a force that reaches far beyond nutrition. “Food is hope, is love, is community, communication and caring,” he told Fox News Digital.

“When we sit across from the table with each other, we can see what's going on,” Irvine added. That principle is driving Fuel to Serve, a new five year partnership between the United Services Automobile Association and the Robert Irvine Foundation.

The initiative was announced at the end of September and will begin with pilots at Fort Bragg and in the Washington, D.C., region. It will use food and shared meals as an opening for wider support of military families.

Fuel to Serve aims to connect service members and their relatives with cooking and nutrition education, financial resources, mental health support, benefits navigation and community programs. Irvine said the partnership expands his longtime work to improve military food systems while helping families develop practical skills at home.

Irvine, the founder and chairman of the Robert Irvine Foundation, said working with USAA allows that effort to reach further. “I think we have the ability to bring people back together again over a family table,” he said.

In addition to supporting service members, veterans and military families, Irvine runs restaurants and hosts Food Network’s “Restaurant: Impossible.” At his own family table, phones are put away so everyone can communicate without that distraction.

“We communicate, and that's what I've got going on with the military right now, which is amazing to see,” Irvine said. The chef views that communication as part of a broader approach that extends beyond placing a healthier dinner in front of a family.

The work includes teaching families how to understand food labels, plan meals, shop within a budget and prepare dinner quickly after a demanding day. These everyday skills can make nutritious cooking more manageable when time and money are limited.

Irvine recommends creating a weekly menu and grocery list, followed by preparing ingredients in advance. “Planning is essential in everything we do,” he said.

Basic tasks completed on a quieter day can make a significant difference later in the week. Irvine said chopping an onion, boiling eggs or assembling ingredients beforehand can help a family put dinner on the table in about 20 minutes.

The need is particularly serious for military households. The Robert Irvine Foundation says one in six military families experiences food insecurity, while frequent moves can force families to rebuild their support systems every few years.

Lindsey O’Neill, who leads communications and public affairs for USAA, cited Military Family Advisory Network research showing that more than 41% of military affiliated respondents experienced low or very low food security. That figure climbed to 57% among junior enlisted respondents.

O’Neill also cited Blue Star Families findings that 30% of active duty families said they often or sometimes could not afford balanced meals. She said gathering around food can create a natural opportunity to address those pressures while building community.

“We all have to eat, have a nutritious meal, be able to break bread, be able to have a conversation together and then, hopefully, find that community and that connection which, quite frankly, is also a huge factor of mission and military readiness,” O’Neill said.

A shared meal can reduce isolation and open conversations about parenting, finances and other daily concerns, according to O’Neill. “Food is the entry point, the front door,” she said. “But it's going to go from the dining facility to their home, from the installation to the entire community.”

USAA and the foundation plan to track the results of the pilots and use those findings to expand the model. Irvine hopes families will build habits that endure beyond a single dinner and foster closer relationships throughout the household.

“If we do that, we'd know more about our kids. We'd know about each other,” Irvine said. “It would foster deeper relationships on every level.”