Rethink Food

Rethink Food NYC Inc, commonly called Rethink Food or Rethink, is a non-profit organization based in New York City. The organization was founded to address hunger in the United States by contributing to a sustainable and equitable food system. Rethink collects food excess from restaurants, grocery stores, and corporate kitchens to provide nutritious meals for people living without food security at low or no-cost. The organization expanded its operations in March 2020 to meet growing food demands amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Leadership.
Rethink Food was founded by Matt Jozwiak, who currently serves as CEO. The organization's co-founder is Winston Chiu, owner of Little Tong Noodle Shop, who is currently serving as chief strategy officer. In April 2020, Daniel Humm officially became Rethink’s head chef and a founding board member.
History.
2017-2019.
Jozwiak worked as a chef in restaurants like Eleven Madison Park and Noma before founding Rethink Food. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the nonprofit was preparing between 8,000 and 10,000 meals per week. Rethink works in coordination with the Food Bank For New York City, which assists the organization in directing food to area missions.
COVID-19 Response.
In March 2020, the organization shifted its operations in order to serve the growing need in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. As part of Rethink's pandemic response, the organization expanded to a national scope.
The organization launched a variety of programs and initiatives throughout NYC in the wake of COVID-19, including Restaurant Response Program and the Rethink Café and Restaurant models.
In April, Rethink began feeding as many as 10,000 people every 48 hours, averaging a total of 35,000 meals a week. The organization began running a food truck program to deliver 5,000 free meals per day to hospital workers across New York City. Partnering with local commissaries to prepare the meals, Rethink was distributing food at 20 medical facilities via 10 pop-up food trucks.
As of July 2020, Rethink food has provided over 786,000 meals to residents of New York since the beginning of the pandemic.
Restaurant Response Program.
Rethink Food launched a Restaurant Response Program to fund 30 New York restaurants with grants of up to $40,000 to prepare and distribute meals for underprivileged communities and essential workers. and to keep restaurant workers employed.
The Restaurant Response Program allowed the organization to increase meal distribution, as well as help local restaurants pay rent and their respective staff. Program participants include Fieldtrip, Collective Fare and Little Tong Noodle Shop.
Commissary Kitchen at Eleven Madison Park.
In April 2020, Rethink partnered with Eleven Madison Park, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and American Express to reopen the restaurant as a commissary kitchen with the goal of producing 3,000 meals per day for residents of New York and associated healthcare workers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. As part of the program free meals were delivered to clients of Citymeals-on-Wheels and to hospital workers across the city.
Chinatown/LES Food Initiative.
Rethink launched the Chinatown/LES Food Initiative in April 2020 to help produce and distribute culturally appropriate meals to the residents of Chinatown who were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The organization worked with volunteers who went door to door throughout the neighborhood to distribute meals to elderly individuals. Asian restaurants like Zen Yai helped cook the food while the Chinese Conservative Baptist Church (CCBC) served as one of the main distribution points.
Rethink Café and Restaurant.
In 2020, Rethink opened Rethink Café, its first donation-based cafe, at 154 Clinton Avenue in Brooklyn. The cafe is a registered soup kitchen run by professional chefs which provides nutritionally complete meals for a suggested donation. While there is no formal menu, the cafe offers options for kids and those with dietary restrictions.
Partnerships.
Partnership with Ghetto Gastro.
In May 2020, Rethink partnered with Bronx-based culinary collective Ghetto Gastro to provide free meals to residents of the Bronx, especially low-income families, elderly residents, people of color, and formerly incarcerated people. The Bronx was especially impacted by the pandemic, and at the time had more coronavirus cases than anywhere else in the city. The organizations offered relief funds to local eateries like the Oaxacan restaurant La Morada, who volunteered their kitchens and staff to prepare the meals. The organizations provided tens of thousands of meals to residents of the Bronx, and also provided meals to Black Lives Matter protesters at Washington Square Park and Domino Park in NYC.
Ghetto Gastro produced a series of t-shirts with the phrase “Food is a Weapon” in order to bring attention to racial inequalities and lack of access to food in the United States. Proceeds from the sale of these shirts were donated to Rethink, Color of Change, and other local community organizations. Ghetto Gastro also partnered with Brooklyn artist Aya Brown on a limited-edition t-shirt collection, with all proceeds from sales going to Rethink and La Morada.
Partnership with Brookfield Properties and USHG.
In July 2020, Rethink Food announced a $1 million partnership with Brookfield Properties and Union Square Hospitality Group to produce meals for food-insecure families in New York City. The partnerships objective is the reemployment of restaurant team employees and the distribution of 125,000 meals in the South Bronx. Rethink and USHG also launched a mentorship program that allows smaller restaurants to participate.