Le Refettorio Paris

Massimo Bottura’s Food Revolution Has Arrived in Paris | Eater

"Housed in the windowless nave of the historic Madeleine church in Paris’s 8th arrondissement, this community kitchen occupies a long, narrow dining room with vaulted ceilings and stone walls and serves free dinners exclusively to refugees, people experiencing homelessness, and other socially vulnerable guests. A project of Massimo Bottura’s nonprofit Food for Soul, it combats food waste by transforming surprise daily donations and surplus products into thoughtfully prepared three-course meals; chefs cannot pre-order staples and must improvise, with well-known guest chefs rotating regularly and a full-time chef (Maxime Bonnabry-Duval) slated to manage the unconventional sourcing long-term. Celebrity involvement—from Bottura to the artist JR—helps draw attention and volunteers, and the evening described featured guest chef Christopher Hache preparing a gâteau de chou: a lasagna-like cabbage cake made with Savoy cabbage leaves layered with an herbed pork sausage filling, portioned and kept warm for diners. The atmosphere is jubilant and multilingual, focused on restoring dignity through beauty and community, with ambitions to serve about 100 meals daily and even explore proposals like food and medical trucks to reach more people." - Sono Motoyama