The World’s Most Renowned Chef Is Opening A Soup Kitchen In NYC

Massimo Bottura‘s got an impressive CV. For starters, he owns and runs Modena’s famous Osteria Francescana, a restaurant so good it’s topped best restaurant lists numerous times over. He also recently starred in Season two of Master Of None. But the most impressive thing about Bottura is that he uses this prestige to accelerate much more altruistic ventures.

Bottura has been running his non-profit Food For Soul since 2015. He began a project with 65 international chefs in Milan called Refettorio Ambrosiano that turned food wastage into delicious meals for those in need. Since then, he’s used the same model to open up Refettorio in Modena, Rio de Janiero and London as permanent fixtures.

Now, Bottura and his team at Food For Soul are setting up a soup kitchen in The Bronx. The neighbourhood has a history of socio-economic disadvantage that ties into the issues of food insecurity and poor nutrition Bottura’s team is trying to eradicate.

Not only that, but the food wastage in the US in general has reached astronomical levels. Eater reports that the US wastes up to 40 per cent of its food every single year.

Bottura told Eater that he plans for these projects to stick around for a long time. “We are not interested in pop-ups,” Bottura says. “We are interested in seeds. They’re going to grow, and they’re going to expand all over the world.”

How nice to see someone using their platform to do good things for the world. We’re very impressed with this move. Good one, Bottura.

(All images: Food For Soul/Facebook)

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