Refettorio Paris is situated in the crypt of the Church of la Madeleine, in the heart of Paris. It is one of many refettorios located around the globe that has partnered with Food of Soul, an organization started by Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilbert.
Refettorio Paris represents one of the finest examples of what was first envisioned by Food of Soul, when it conceived the program. It achieved this reputation by envisioning Refettorio Paris “not as a charity project” but a "cultural one.”
This is why the organization went well beyond being seen as but one more community kitchen serving food. Refettorio Paris purposely sought out a “welcoming dinnertime food service to people in situations of social vulnerability transforming surplus ingredients - that would otherwise be wasted - into delicious meals.” To achieve this goal, the program met with artists, architects, and designers to design a space where people would feel valued and welcome.
For example, French artists JR and Prune Nourry, internationally known for their multi-disciplinary installations in public spaces all over the world, created installations specifically for Refettorio Paris. Leading the design team, they paired with Nicola Deign
(co-founder of the Parisian architectural firm Encore Heureux) and Ramy Fischier (founder
of design agency RF Studio). As evident in the
accompanying video, they created a warm environment where people feel welcome.
And as the case with all refettorios associated with Food for Soul, Refettorio Paris invites chefs from around Paris to volunteer in the kitchen, preparing three-course meals to be served at the table delivered by dedicated volunteers. More than 100 guest chefs have joined the
Refettorio, since it launched in March of 2018.
Serving People
Refettorio Paris has, since its inception, and following in the model of Food for Soul, recovered about 130 kg per day of recovered food which it uses to aims to serve 100 meals a day. This has, with its overall plan, created “a social restaurant serving more than 250 nutritious and in-season meals every day to elderly people and workers from the neighbourhood at a reasonable price: nine euros for the meal and seven euros for the yearly membership.” Thanks to the cooperation with the Ozanam Madeleine association, the restaurant has also been offering meals to people in need at the cost of one euro. And it should be noted Marco Berrebi, a business and social entrepreneur, launched Action Refettorio in 2010 which served up to 5,000 meals a day.
Why can't other societies do the same? And why can't governments expand upon the good work of these charitable organization?
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Refettorio Paris
Le Foyer de la Madeleine
Right:
Refettorio Paris, France, 2018
Video Courtesy of:
Social Animals
A project by JR and Massimo Bottura
Movie by JR and Roberto De Angelis
Produced by Social Animals
Visit:
https://refettorioparis.com/index.html