After the election this past November, the Bon Appétit staff wanted to do something; specifically something to celebrate the diversity that fuels our country's amazing restaurant scene. They came up with the idea of Family Meal, a fundraiser dinner series to support immigrant workers' rights.
"The fact is, immigrants are a hugely important part of what makes restaurant kitchens go," says Bon Appétit editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport. "They are the backbone of the industry."
In restaurant lingo, the "family meal" is the food that cooks make for each other and their servers before or after service; imaginative, simple dishes that you don't usually find on the menu. Bon Appétit wanted to share those close, communal experiences (and off-menu specialties) with the public, and direct the proceeds to those who need it most.
After four sold-out events in New York, Family Meal is coming to L.A. this January. They'll be serving up a "butcher scrap lunch" at Gwen on Sunday, January 22 for $80; a Vietnamese feast at Kismet (which officially opens in Los Feliz this weekend) on Monday, January 23 for $65; and a chicken katsu curry at Animal on Tuesday, January 24 for $75. One hundred percent of all ticket sales will go to the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and the Coalition for Humane Immigrants Rights of Los Angeles.
According to Rapoport, the response has been amazing. "We announce the Family Meals on Bon Appétit's Instagram account... our very first dinner in New York sold out within 48 hours." They're hoping for a similar response in L.A., so grab tickets while you can! "America is already great," Rapoport says. "Let's take a moment to celebrate what makes it that way." Cheers to that.
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