KarunaNews Story

Michelin-starred chef Adam Simmonds has a lot to celebrate when he looks back on his career as a chef. But Home Kitchen, Simmonds’ high-end restaurant in London’s Primrose Hill, is especially notable. In a world-first, everyone in the fine-dining establishment has experienced homelessness. Michael Brown, a co-founder of Home Kitchen, said the vision was borne out of his experience working at Soup Kitchen London — a nonprofit that combats homelessness through food, clothing donations, and mental health support. He believes that Home Kitchen is a small way to combat the “very flawed public perceptions of what it is to be homeless.” To set their employees up for success, every Home Kitchen staff member is given a living wage, a pre-paid travel card for transportation, and funds for a catering qualification. “We’re here to do a job, build ourselves up,” an employee named Jeremy said. “We don’t want pity, we want to be treated like everyone else. We’ve been given a chance that perhaps we have not had in our lives. And the fine dining environment, this is fantastic.”