NYC Michelin-Star Restaurant To Feed Healthcare Workers

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — One of New York City's most celebrated fine-dining restaurants is converting into a commissary kitchen to feed city healthcare workers treating coronavirus patients, the restaurant's owners and its charity partner.

Three Michelin-star restaurant Eleven Madison Park is preparing more than 2,000 meals per day and distributing them to healthcare workers with the help of the nonprofit Rethink Food. Rethink Food is partnering with Eleven Madison Park and restaurants around the city to create an emergency food distribution network as New York City deals with the effects of the coronavirus outbreak, the organization's founder said.

"Our mission of delivering food to New Yorkers in need has never been more important, and finding a way to continue serving those that have always relied on us, as well as helping hospitals provide meals in this all-hands-on-deck moment, is so important," Matt Jozwiak, Executive Director and Founder of Rethink Food NYC, said in a statement.

Eleven Madison Park staff will work the restaurant's kitchens to prepare meals distributed by Rethink Food. Rethink Food will provide funding to pay the staffers, who may have otherwise been laid off if the restaurant shut down entirely.

Meals prepared at Eleven Madison Park's kitchen will be distributed to both hospitals and community health centers, a spokesperson for Rethink Food said. The organization implements strict sanitary codes, such as requiring workers to wear gloves and masks, to ensure the food is prepared safely.

"The most important thing any of us can do is find ways to support the healthcare workers on the frontlines of this battle and those struggling to survive it. We’re grateful that this partnership will allow the Eleven Madison Park team to contribute in such a significant way,” Eleven Madison Park chef and owner Daniel Humm said in a statement.