9/11 25th anniversary live updates: Families to gather for ceremonies at World Trade Center, Pentagon, Shanksville

Chef Don Pintabona spent years cooking up the finest dishes for celebrities, Wall Street brokers and other VIPs at the Tribeca Grill in downtown Manhattan, but nothing could have prepared him and the rest of the city's restaurant community for their biggest job.

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Meet the chefs who kept Ground Zero workers fueled after the 9/11 attacksIn the weeks after the World Trade Center was destroyed, city chefs and thousands of New Yorkers banded together to help feed Ground Zero workers around the clock.

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In the hours after the World Trade Center was attacked and destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, Pintabona said he and many other chefs, caters, food service workers and others all yearned to help the city in some capacity with their skills, but didn't immediately know how.

But through quick thinking, organizing and the generosity of thousands of New Yorkers, Pintabona and the other restaurant members put together a massive operation that fed Ground Zero workers around the clock for two months after the attacks.

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Jack Moran Jr. spoke with ABC News Live about the legacy of his friend Welles Crowther, a 9/11 hero who has been dubbed the "man in the red bandana.”

“He saved the lives of 18 people -- he’s a hero,” Moran said. “And it’s very important to know his story.”

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Friends and family honor the legacy of 9/11 hero Welles CrowtherWelles Crowther, dubbed the "man in the red bandana," is remembered by his friend Jack Moran Jr. for his courageous acts on September 11.

ABCNews.com

A one-hour ABC News special called "9/11 Tribute in Light: Live from Lower Manhattan" will premiere at 8 p.m. on Friday, led by "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir, "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts and anchor Diane Sawyer.

The special, produced in collaboration with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, honors the victims, victims’ families, survivors and first responders.

You can watch the special on ABC, Disney+, Hulu, National Geographic, ABC Owned Television Stations livestreams and ABC News Live.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday released tens of thousands of long-guarded city documents related to the air quality that showed how first responders who rushed to the World Trade Center were likely exposed to dangerous toxins.

"People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air," Mamdani said.

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