Food restores dignity

 

Some of Refettorio’s guests, like Marcus Townsend, 15, also assist with the service.

Here's on admirable, praise-worthy, honorable thing.  In this inspiring NYT article: "In a Harlem Church, a Free Three-Course Dinner, No Questions Asked

Two nights a week at Refettorio Harlem, chefs turn donated food that would otherwise go to waste into a multicourse dinner that is served to anyone who is hungry."

On a bitterly cold December day, Michael Lesser bounded from station to station in a Harlem kitchen, commanding a small army.

There were vegetables to prep, fish to season and a soup to simmer. In the dining room, glasses were polished until they gleamed, flowers were set and silverware was carefully tucked into the folds of embroidered napkins.

It would be easy to mistake this scene for a trendy restaurant, but this is Refettorio Harlem, a nonprofit restaurant and food pantry where, two nights a week, chefs like Mr. Lesser turn donated food that would otherwise go to waste into a multicourse dinner that is served to anyone who is hungry.

Found inside the Emanuel A.M.E. Church, Refettorio Harlem is run by Free Food Harlem, with the aim of giving anyone who walks through its doors a dining experience befitting a Michelin-starred restaurant — think three-course dinners with freshly baked desserts and aromatic coffee. Dinner service is held every Wednesday and Friday.

The Harlem operation is part of a global network founded by Lara Gilmore and her husband, Massimo Bottura, the Italian chef whose Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, is often ranked among the world’s best restaurants. Their Food for Soul program, which seeks to reduce food waste, insecurity and isolation, has established Refettorio operations in a dozen locations around the globe, including in Paris, London and Sydney, Australia.

Jill Conklin, a strategic director at Food for Soul, said that Refettorio, which opened in 2023 and is funded almost entirely by private donations, can make the overwhelming challenges of food insecurity, waste and loneliness “feel a little lighter,” as if “it’s possible to have change.” 

Mr. Bottura, who is also a United Nations Environment Program good-will ambassador, said he wanted to “create places where food becomes a connector, celebrating culture, nurturing community and restoring dignity.”