UK Restaurant Staffed Entirely by a Team of Homeless People

It often feels like the world is falling apart right before our eyes. Daily, the Big Pharma-funded mainstream news seeks to dismantle and destroy any and all efforts tirelessly being made to right our sinking ship. And, like clockwork, the predictable deep state-affiliated leaders eagerly conspire to deliberately sink our nation further. But, despite their relentless and exhaustive efforts, goodness prevails and is literally everywhere. You simply have to look. One such example is a restaurant in the United Kingdom called Home Kitchen, which, thanks to the vision of two-starred Michelin chef Adam Simmonds and Soup Kitchen London, is staffed solely by vulnerable individuals who have experienced homelessness.

After much thoughtful collaboration, Home Kitchen initially opened as a pop-up restaurant in 2022. Excitingly, it was confirmed last year that the restaurant would be permanently open in a fixed home in Primrose Hill. When co-founder Michael Brown and Simmonds initially conceived the idea of Home Kitchen, nearly 400,000 restaurant jobs in the UK had been lost thanks to the pandemic, with no one wanting to fill them. The sector remained in a recruitment crisis in 2023.

But wait a minute! Every single night in the UK, there are 274,000 homeless people. London suffers the most, with 180,000 community members homeless. On top of that, as just one of roughly 500 soup kitchens across London, Soup Kitchen London feeds between 150 and 200 people every day. Put the two conundrums together, and the solution is refreshingly brilliant.

Announcing its new brick-and-mortar permanent upscale restaurant to help solve the UK’s homeless problem and provide valuable skills and meaning to people’s lives, Home Kitchen’s funding page states:

“There’s no easy fix. But there’s a way out – one route is through meaningful work.

The trouble is, the majority of employers, despite huge claims around inclusivity, are unwilling to employ homeless people. Stereotypes skew the picture!

42% of bosses would sack existing staff if they became homeless!

The [Home Kitchen] menu and kitchen will be managed by our Michelin-starred chef, Adam.

The rest of the team will be recruited from London’s homeless community. We’ll pay a Living Wage, a full-time contract, a travel card, and we’ll underpin that with a professional catering qualification.”

Home Kitchen states it is committed to transforming lives by improving the employability of its recruits. And the best part is that they do it by lifting them out of poverty and helping them find meaningful, stable careers in the restaurant and catering industry. Home Kitchen has partnered with an impressive team to ensure these people thrive, whether through employment with them, their sponsors, partners, or their broader network aligned to help. Their goal is to create lasting change.

Moreover, Home Kitchen intends to build a powerful case for the positive social impact of its project that they can take to their government and civil society to prove the model works. Then, they hope to unlock even more support, launch more Home Kitchens wherever homelessness exists, and guide even more people into stable employment. Its surplus, which it expects to generate as a non-profit, will be reinvested into expanding the Home Kitchen model and supporting homelessness charities, such as Soup Kitchen London.

Funded through a £500,000 combination of crowdfunding and social investment loans, Home Kitchen offers far more than just employment—it provides a lifeline designed to break the cycle of homelessness permanently. The sixteen Home Kitchen team members are employed on full-time contracts, paid the London Living Wage, and receive free travel within Zones 1 and 2. Each also works toward professional catering qualifications alongside in-house training and support. By the way, yes, for those wondering, London is a “smart city,” and some recognize it as one of the world’s smartest cities. Sigh. Nevertheless, this group’s solution to homelessness is impressive.

Not seeking recognition, the leadership at Home Kitchen is clear: no staff member is ever required to speak with the media. But for those who choose to, their stories are powerful. One such voice is Mimi, a French-Algerian pastry chef at Home Kitchen, who spoke with journalist Isobel Lewis of Positive.News. Mimi moved to the UK at the age of eight and found herself facing obstacles to work. She was doubtful when her Jobcentre advisor first mentioned the opportunity at Home Kitchen. “I thought, ‘They’re not going to take me—I don’t have experience,’” she recalls. “It just sounded too good to be true.” Now, she’s creating elegant desserts and helping redefine what second chances can look like.

Head Chef Toby Lever trained Mimi in the complexities of her “technically focused” pastry chef role over her first three weeks at Home Kitchen. Meanwhile, other staff members continued professional development through in-work training with supporting organizations before joining Home Kitchen. Without a doubt, it is a win-win situation that should inspire others and serve as a reminder that each of us can make a difference. Mimi, who is now married and lives with her husband’s family, fondly remembers when the Home Kitchen offer came after the care work she was sporadically doing ended after COVID. She shared:

“[At first, I] didn’t believe it. Since then, I just fell in love with the place. We’re like a little family here … I really enjoy waking up in the morning, knowing that I’m coming to work: I’m going to see my second family.”