In New York City, where excess and scarcity coexist, Rethink Food and its CEO, Matt Jozwiak, are determined to bridge the gap. The nonprofit — which just opened a newly expanded community kitchen in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood — is transforming surplus food into nourishing meals for those in need.
“We’ve had our best year yet in 2023. That year alone, we made 9 million meals,” Matt Jozwiak says. “In our prior history, from inception to the end of 2022, we made 10 million meals. We did what usually takes us four years in one year.”
This expansion replaced the previous kitchen in downtown Manhattan and will allow Rethink Food to make an even more meaningful community impact. The community kitchen will continue to prepare meals that are delivered to community-based organizations across the city — allowing Rethink to prepare more meals, currently numbering 15,000 weekly.
The street-facing front will be open to the public to enter, grab a Stumptown coffee, and learn more about Rethink Food’s mission. It will also serve as a space for events like panels and talks, engaging donors, supporters, and the general public.
“We’re growing. We have a lot of capacity,” Jozwiak shares. “We’re just trying to get them as well resourced as possible.”
Since its inception in 2017, Rethink Food has increased its community footprint exponentially. Now focusing exclusively on New York City and Miami, Rethink Food is hyperfocused on providing nutrient-rich meals to those experiencing food issues.
Rethink Food Day Serves Food for Thought
On March 27, Rethink Food celebrated its eponymous day in tandem with a ribbon-cutting at its new Greenwich Village facility.
“A milestone moment for us…Not only are we opening our new community kitchen at 116 W Houston Street, but today also marks the very first #RethinkFoodDay !” the philanthropic operation posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Visit our new space from Tuesdays to Thursdays, 10 am to 4 pm, and celebrate sustainability, community, and culinary innovation. We can’t wait to show you around.”
The multiuse space will allow for more educational opportunities for visitors, and there are plans for chef events and a dinner series. Rethink Food remains dedicated to bringing awareness to just how much food is wasted each day and what can be done to rectify that.
“Our sustainable community kitchen embodies our mission of successfully repurposing excess food into nutritious meals,” Matt Jozwiak explained. “We’re constantly trying to reach, educate, and engage new supporters in our unique approach to serving our local community. This new space focuses on our community-driven program and directly sharing our work with you.”
Rethink Food’s co-founders Matt Jozwiak and chef Daniel Humm were present at the opening of the new community kitchen alongside Milagros de Hoz, deputy director of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy, Manhattan Borough President Mark D. Levine, NYC Council member Erik Bottcher, and other community officials.
“A year ago, the city thought there should be Rethink Day,” de Hoz said in an Instagram video. “The name of the organization Rethink Food is just so important because we do need to rethink. We do need to reimagine our food system.”
Bottcher, who represents District 3 in NYC, has been lauding the strides made by Rethink Food within his city. “We’re throwing away 40% of the food we produce. We can do a lot better than this,” Bottcher said during the opening day festivities of Rethink Food’s new location.
“We’re going to look back during our lifetimes at the time we stepped up and made big changes so future generations don’t have to suffer from food waste. I know we can do it, and I know we will, and that’s because of Rethink Food and all of you.”
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Rethink Food will also continue its role in shepherding more programming to feed those in need and inspire legislative change. The group has twice attended the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.
“We thank the Biden-Harris administration for the platform to share Rethink Food’s work , providing community meals across the 5 boroughs of NYC, and how we are working to address food insecurity in our communities, promote sustainability, and support small businesses,” Rethink Food posted on X.
Rethink Food’s website further highlights its affiliation with city, state, and federal governments to advocate for systemic change.
“Across all our work, we build and strengthen bonds, creating a network that is responsive, hyperlocal , and ready to meet the needs of our communities,” the website states.
During Rethink Food’s visit to the White House, Jozwiak says they wanted to keep their agenda as mission-aligned as possible.
“We were heavily advocating for small businesses to get involved in the government contracting process and for folks that do large-scale food production to use excess food to help increase the quality of food that’s being directed to low-income individuals.”
With the new space, the optimistic CEO is looking forward to strengthening the conversation on how more people can get involved.
“This new two-area space reflects our culture of centering community leaders, culinary professionals, and hospitality at the heart of our approach to creating a more sustainable and equitable food system,” Jozwiak said in a press release.
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