Rockstar Jon Bon Jovi has opened a new restaurant in Red Bank, New Jersey, and the kitchen is serving up more than just food to the community. Thanks to Jon, anyone who comes into the restaurant is going to be provided with a hot meal, and the most amazing part is that you don’t even need to pay for this five-star meal if you cannot afford it.
Jon and his self-named charity have been able to bless the community with JBJ Soul Kitchen. This unique community-style restaurant was designed by the superstar to make sure that everyone who wanted to come in was provided with a hot, delicious, and nutritious meal. Soul Kitchen is different from any other restaurant you would ever walk into. One of the most obvious differences happens when you look at the menu.
You will notice on the menu that there are no prices listed anywhere, and that is because Soul Kitchen does not require you to pay for your meal. They suggest that you give a donation of $10 per meal if you can afford it. If you can give a little more, you are helping feed someone that may not be able to afford the donation. If you can not pay at all, you are asked to volunteer for your meal.
One hour of cooking, busing tables, washing dishes, or waiting tables will pay for the delicious three-course meal that you are served. According to previous report by the Inquisitr , the one hour of volunteer time will not only be good for your meal, but it will also cover the cost of four family members .
Soul Kitchen boasts a menu of not only delicious food, but their own organic garden , where they try to get a lot of their ingredients. When you come in to eat a meal, you will be served your choice of a soup or salad, an entree and a freshly baked dessert. A sample of what you would be served is listed on the Soul Kitchen website, and includes options such as a mixed green salad with grilled pear and citrus salad dressing, grilled round steak with crispy red bliss potatoes and a homemade steak sauce, slow cooked pork stew with hominy posole and chiles, a fresh fish of the day, a vegetarian pasta, turkey burger sliders, and a dessert. Soul Kitchen clearly knows what they are doing in the culinary department, and you are guaranteed a gourmet meal when you walk through the door.
The Soul Kitchen website has an entire page devoted to their manifesto and vision for the community kitchen concept.
“Our vision here at Soul Kitchen is to serve healthy, delicious, and when possible, organic meals. At Soul Kitchen you will notice there are no prices on the menu and you might have been seated with someone you don’t know. Customers pay the minimum donation or volunteer in some way to earn a dining certificate for a meal.”
Last year, the JBJ Soul Kitchen served over 11,000 guests and met its goal of a 50/50 split. Fifty percent of the people who came in paid for their meal, and the other fifty percent volunteered their time for their dinner. Soul Kitchen and Bon Jovi hope that by having a community kitchen, they can really shine a spotlight on the issue of hunger that people face every day in communities all over the United States.
[Photo courtesy of JBL Soul Foundation]