The Refettorio is a solidarity restaurant, which is located in the foyer of l’église de la Madeleine
in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.
Behind it all, Massimo Bottura, chef of the Osteria Francescana restaurant with three stars in the Michelin,
created a “modern soup kitchen”
at the Milan World’s Fair in 2015, which was devoted to food.
His project: put gastronomy at the service of the poorest of the poor by serving free quality meals which are prepared from unsold goods to people in precarious conditions.
He created Food For Soul, an association intended to raise awareness against food waste,
and opened solidarity restaurants in Rio, London, Modena and Bologna.
© Shehan Hanwellage
The project
In March 2018, the Refetttorio opened its doors in Paris. Since then, every evening,
from Monday to Friday, a brigade of six people prepares about a hundred meals from unsold products from partner stores (Carrefour, Metro, Food Bank) for migrants and homeless people who are sent by partner associations (Emmaus, Aurore, Singa…).
The Refettorio has a double mission:
- Fight against food waste by recycling, cooking and distributing unsold products
- Offer marginalized people balanced and tasty meals in a pleasant setting - a place of sharing and inclusion to recreate social bonds
Our engagement
An iconic place - two vaulted rooms under the Madeleine have been converted by architects, designers and artists - JR and Prune Nourry have
created specific works for the place; the menu is designed every evening by a guest chef (Alain Passard, Alain Ducasse, Michel and Sébastien Bras, Hélène Darroze, and many others. have followed one another in the kitchen, and participate free-of-charge); table service: At the Refettorio, beauty is accessible to all.
Our support
Since 2018, our support totaled 160,000 €.
© JR
For more information