This restaurant serves more than just food

Refettorio Paris is a restaurant located in its namesake city that is staffed by some of the world’s greatest chefs. You likely won’t ever be able to eat there, but that is not a bad thing. The restaurant, like similar venues in London, Rio and Milan, is part of Massimo Bottura’s Food for Soul initiative, a group of soup kitchens that turn unwanted food into healthy and tasty meals for the homeless.

Although you won’t be able to see the workings of Refettoria Paris, a new short film allows us to see the inner workings of the place. The 9-minute movie comes courtesy of artist and Phaidon author JR, who helped establish and decorate this iteration of the soup kitchen. We get to see a slice of activity starring the volunteer chef for the evening, Pascal Barbot of the three Michelin star restaurant L’astrance. 

We learn that while the day’s offerings of vegetables, fruits, and other foods are not particularly inspiring, in the talented hands of a great chef, they are transformed into tantalizing offerings. Barbot is surprised by a visit from two other top chefs, Massimo Bottura and Alex Atala. The film is uplifting and inspiring; a welcome respite from recent disheartening events.