RBR’s culinary arts students were delighted to share their skills and service for The Soul Kitchen, in Red Bank, this past holiday season. The students took a field trip from their usual high school culinary class to dice and chop under the direction of Executive Chef Zeet Peabody. The Soul Kitchen serves up home-style three course meals every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in this community kitchen. Many of RBR’s students are from the Red Bank area, where the Soul Kitchen is located.
RBR culinary student Alexandra Collado of Shrewsbury commented, “We got a lot done and prepared such dishes as butternut squash and string beans under Chef Zeet’s direction. He said, ‘we were great!’” Alexandra adds, “I would love to return and volunteer to serve for dinner.”
The Soul Kitchen was opened in October by the non-profit Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation. It was conceived by Dorothea Bongiovi of Middletown, who wanted to create a wonderful space where members of the community can come together and enjoy an excellent dinner together. The dishes are always freshly prepared, mostly with organic foods and offerings from the restaurant’s garden. Those who can pay are asked to give a minimum donation which subsidizes those who cannot. And in turn, those who cannot pay volunteer their services to the restaurant or to Lunch Break, a soup kitchen in Red Bank.
In gratitude for their service, the RBR students and their families were invited to dinner at the Soul Kitchen in December. The RBR culinary arts students look forward to return to volunteer their skills and service at the Soul Kitchen in the near future.
RBR chef and culinary arts teacher Roskowinski states, “I am always encouraging my kids to volunteer. I tell them that food offers them an opportunity to take care of people less fortunate then themselves. I want them to realize that you get so much more out of giving then getting and to experience that by getting out and doing things, like volunteering for the Soul Kitchen.”
