Eleven Madison Park is known for its unparalleled fine dining in NYC (which can cost over $300 per person), but now their industrial kitchen will be used for something much different.
The restaurant closed down when all the other restaurants in the city were required to, but owner and chef Daniel Humm announced on Instagram yesterday, April 2 that the kitchen would be re-opening to help the city.
“I’ve been struggling with what to do since we closed our doors,” he said. “All of our worlds have been turned upside down. We need to stay safe, we need to protect each other and the vulnerable. But I need to help New York City—it’s given so much to me, even if I can help just a little bit.
“Starting today [Thursday, April 2], we have turned Eleven Madison Park into a commissary kitchen with the goal of producing thousands of meals per day for those who are working in the front lines and those who are deeply effected by the current crisis.”
They have partnered with Rethink Food NYC, a non-profit organization “working to recover nutritious excess food to provide low or no-cost meals to New York City families in need,” along with American Express, to cook meals for both medical workers fighting the virus and for New Yorkers in need of food.
According to the New York Times, they will start making about 1,000 meals a day, and work their way up to 3,000 per day.
“I believe the storm is still coming, and will be for some time,” Humm said. “And if we can do just a little something, these dark days can be just a bit brighter.”
You can help keep the program going by donating on their website here.
featured image source: Instagram / @elevenmadisonpark