Last week we talked about A.Wong, a restaurant in London cooking meals for food banks. This week, another Michelin star rated restaurant is stepping up to provide food for those in need. Eleven Madison Park in New York City is known for providing one of the most upscale dining experiences in the world and it’s now bringing that famous food to medical workers in need.
Chef Daniel Humm made the announcement this week via Instagram that the restaurant would reopen as a commissary kitchen. The restaurant has partnered with non-profit Rethink Food NYC to deliver the food to nurses, doctors, and first-responders on the front line fighting COVID-19, many of whom are staying in hotels throughout the city as they risk high exposure to the virus.
Eleven Madison Park is cooking approximately 2,000 meals per day. For many high end restaurants, the transition to take out options is not feasible. Expensive ingredient costs mean that these restaurants are only profitable with high volume production and individuals ordering take out are not likely to opt for pricey items under uncertain economic conditions.
Turning top-quality kitchens into production stations for those in need during a crisis is a great option for keeping a restaurant a float and keeping critical medical staff well-fed. The restaurant has received some donations to facilitate the food production and, as we speak, nurses and doctors across New York are being delivered high quality meals.
