Do you want to pay $15 or $125 for the same dinner in NYC? There’s a restaurant that lets you choose, no questions asked. And it showcases how nature and human communities work in sync to improve all lives.
It’s called Community Kitchen, located on the Lower East Side inside The Lower Eastside Girls Club. Most of us talk about “fixing the food system” in the abstract. But Community Kitchen is actually doing it. Founded by Mark Bittman, it’s running a radical experiment: A sliding-scale restaurant where you pay pay what you wish for the same meal.
And it just keeps getting better:
– It heals the planet: The dinner menu served Wednesday – Saturday, created by James Beard award-winning chef Mavis-Jay Sanders, is plant-forward and prioritizes ingredients from farmers using agroecological (sustainable farming) practices. This minimizes chemicals running into our waterways and soil, and supports biodiversity, treating the farm as an ecosystem rather than a factory.
– It heals the community: They utilize a “sliding scale” payment model. You pay what you can—$15, $45 (the cost of the meal), or $125 (to help others who can’t afford the meal.) If you have the means to pay the higher tier, you are directly helping a neighbor enjoy a nutritious, dignifying meal.
– It respects the worker: Unlike the industry standard, they pay a living wage with full benefits to their team members, correcting the inequities often found in restaurant labor.
– It’s delicious: They prepare top-quality food from scratch that appeals to all members of our communities, using primarily local and seasonal ingredients. Each meal has multiple courses.
It is a rare example of a “closed loop” of kindness—where caring for the soil and caring for the neighbor are part of the same meal.
If you are looking for a way to give back this season (or just want an incredible dinner), Community Kitchen is a wonderful place to dine with purpose. It’s a powerful reminder that “nature” isn’t just “out there”—it’s on our forks, and in how we care for one another.
Location: Lower Eastside Girls Club (East Village).
Chef: Mavis-Jay Sanders
Pricing: Sliding scale for the same meal – you choose the price you pay ($15/$45/$125)
Sustainability: Menu prioritizes plant-forward dishes and agroecological (sustainable farming) practices
Note: If you can’t find the reservation you’re looking for on the site, please check back! They release seats at all price levels gradually. Walk-ins are also welcome.
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
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Christa Avampato 