As Chicago restaurants brace themselves for the imminent winter, leaning into takeout and delivery or simply closing until spring, operators at Kimski have made a different seasonal shift. Within the Bridgeport restaurant, a new effort called Community Canteen has launched, offering delivery and takeout meals for free — a relief effort driven by the coronavirus’ economic toll.
With the support of a group of chefs and hospitality pros, Community Canteen, which opened Tuesday and will operate five days a week, invites guests to choose from a menu of prepared meals to-go, then walk away with lunch or dinner without paying. The new restaurant follows a pay-it-forward model, in which guests can contribute to the project when they pick up their food — but are not expected to. All donations fund future meals.
The Canteen effort is an extension of the Community Kitchen Project, which Ed Marszewski — co-founder of Kimski and Maria’s and owner of Marz Brewing — began in June.
After many businesses closed in March during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Marszewski was struck by the urgent need for employment and meal relief in Chicago. So he tried to offer both with the Community Kitchen Project. Staffers from Kimski and Mom’s — which runs the kitchen at Marz Brewing — worked additional hours helping to prepare, serve and deliver about 300 meals per week during Community Kitchen’s early days.
The operation has grown since then, and Marszewski said Community Canteen plans to distribute at least 2,000 meals per week through the winter. The growth has come courtesy of additional donations and grants from investors, businesses, foundations and individuals at Marszewski’s operations.
Marszewki hopes that Community Canteen can provide a sustainable model going forward, one that can give people employment and offer access to a good meal for those who need it.
“We just want to show that this community kitchen thing, it can work. We’re trying to keep that ecology going and keep this moving,” Marszewski said. “We’re going to do it through the winter, try to keep people employed and try to feed people. The need for food in Chicago isn’t going to end.”
In five months, the project’s list of contributors has grown lengthy and includes more than 50 Chicago chefs and restaurant workers. Chef Won Kim runs the Kimski kitchen and helps to oversee pickup dates on-site. Two days per week, Mom’s chefs/owners Kelly Ijichi and Randy Howry help to deliver meals to facilities including Senior Suites locations and Pilsen Community Center. D-Men Tap, aka Donermen, uses its food truck to make the rest of the deliveries.
Since the beginning of November, chef Beverly Kim has begun using her restaurant Wherewithall as a pickup location on the North Side, offering 150 meals weekly.
“Meal relief is one of the things that, as chefs, we can really promote and be a part of,” said Beverly Kim, who co-owns Wherewithall with her husband, Johnny Clark. “For me, (it’s been) one positive way to use my energy. Instead of fighting for indoor dining, focusing on the needs of the community, and if I can put a few people back to work … and offer people some free meals, that’s super helpful. It’s a lovely program that I hope can help stimulate the neighborhood and help people at the same time.”
A grant from the industry-supporting Lee Initiative allowed Community Canteen to purchase produce at a discount from vendors like Frillman, Genesis, Mick Klug, Green Acres and Slagel farms. Local Farms also offers goods at a reduced price. Beverly Kim said the dishes are made to be comforting but not boring, served as a hot and balanced meal. This week’s offering is a chicken stew pot pie with a biscuit. Beef tajin topped last week’s menu with a side of seasonal squash. Most menus include a side of fresh fruit and greens with vegetables and buttermilk dressing.
The Community Canteen efforts go hand-in-hand with Abundance Setting, Beverly Kim’s own effort to support working mothers who are in the hospitality industry. She distributes about 300 meals weekly combined with the two programs, as well as the help of the American Indian Center. She hopes the programs can grow. “I’d be happy to add more days per week at Wherewithall,” she said.
At Kimski, partner and chef Won Kim said the yo-yo trajectory of dining regulations (all restaurant dining rooms in Illinois have been closed in the latest effort to curb the spread of COVID-19) not only left him frustrated, but it altered the industry’s economic competition, inspiring him and Marszewski to further pursue the community kitchen project.
“It doesn’t feel like competing in the neighborhood, vying for people’s businesses right now. It’s not sustainable for anyone or any neighborhood during these times,” said Won Kim.
“This is an experiment, but it’s a social experiment that doubles as a functioning, charitable-type venture.”
The expanded effort adds five-hour pickup windows Tuesday through Saturday, as opposed to a single weekly window. The new Community Canteen will also have a menu with a few options from which guests can choose. Next week, Community Canteen will offer a festive selection of Thanksgiving favorites.
Marszewski hopes those measures will instill dignity and comfort in the process. Won Kim said some guests have felt self-conscious about taking the food for various reasons. They don’t want guests to feel that way. So far, organizers said they have welcomed myriad guests, from unemployed folks to senior citizens to neighbors who are simply hungry.
“We’re not here to determine whether you need a meal or not. Be regulars — it’s OK,” Won Kim said.
The Community Canteen project has partnered with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Pilsen Food Pantry and Love Fridge, among other food distribution organizations, so far, and Marszewski hopes that the operation can continue to take root in the local food ecosystem. They’re currently working on expanding delivery to Back of the Yards, Bronzeville, Little Village and Washington Park.
“Ed is one of those people who likes to run with an idea as far as you can go, until it’s 100 feet in the ground, and only then will he give up on the idea,” Won Kim said.
The Community Canteen is accepting donations, which are tax-deductible. Monetary donations are accepted on the organization’s website, and donations of materials or products should go through emily.communitykitchen@gmail.com.
“Our industry here hasn’t really seen something like this before. … I’ve been feeling proud of the networking that we’ve been able to do so far. And as a chef, it’s kind of changed my life,” Beverly Kim said. “We hope if this program expands, maybe we can share that with other people, and they say ‘wow, this is a good possibility,’ and they copy-paste it.”
960 W. 31st St., communitykitchenchicago.org
