Our Restaurant Partners
Good Food Kitchens was inspired by the amazing work of the Seattle Community Kitchen Collective and other tireless restaurateurs and chefs who turned to care for their communities at a time of incredible need as their own doors were shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through continued commitment beyond our current crisis, these chefs are providing sustained support for their communities and combatting food insecurity locally.
Restaurant partners prepare meals for community meal providers to distribute, working closely together to determine dietary and culturally appropriate menus.
Featured below are currently active partners. Past partners include Musang, Taku, Pancita, Salare, Frank’s Oyster House, Honest Biscuits, Lupo, hanoon, Bad Albert’s Tap & Grill, and Li’l Woody’s.
Past partners also include two community organizations, who in turn supported their own network of food businesses: Global to Local’s Food Innovation Network businesses include Jazze Afghani Fusion, Taste of Congo, Afella Jollof Catering, WUHA Ethiopian Cuisine, Moyo Kitchen, Jolorene’s Kitchen, and Coda’s Kitchen; and the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda), who supported the restaurants Gourmet Noodle Bowl, Dim Sum King, Ton Kiang, A Plus Hong Kong Kitchen, Gan Bei, Henry’s Taiwan, Ho Ho Seafood Restaurant, New Star Restaurant, Sizzling Pot King, and Tai Tung.
That Brown Girl Cooks!
That Brown Girl Cooks! is the catering arm of Chef Kristi Brown’s restaurant, Communion. She and her team began their community meal program in the face of the COVID-19 public health crisis. They provide up to 800 meals each month directly to the community and local senior centers, utilizing produce from local farmers.
Project Feast
202 W Gowe St, Kent, Washington 98032
Project Feast’s mission is to transform the lives of refugees and immigrants by providing pathways to sustainable employment in the food industry, and to enrich communities through intercultural exchange. Their Culinary Skills Apprenticeship program integrates the creation of community meals into its training program.
Mojito
7545 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115
Mojito is a Latin American and Cuban restaurant in the Maple Leaf neighborhood. Through community donations, owner Luam Wersom began creating culturally relevant and heart-health conscious meals for North Seattle residents at the beginning of the pandemic. Through continued support, he and his team distribute up to 650 community meals each week.
ChuMinh Tofu
Every Sunday for the last few years, ChuMinh Tofu and Vegan Deli in the Chinatown International District sets up a table outside their restaurant and distributes free meals to anyone in need. Known for their delicious all-vegan Vietnamese dishes like banh mi, pho, rice bowls, and buffet, ChuMinh gives out about 200 meals weekly, led by the generosity of owner Thanh-Nga “Chef Tanya” Nguyễn and customers-turned-volunteers, known as “the Eggrolls,” a reference to ChuMinh’s poplar side dish.
“For Sunday meals, we invite everyone to be our guest and receive a box of food,” said Chef Tanya. “It doesn’t matter how much money you have or where you are coming from. If you are hungry, we want you to eat. No questions asked. We have a big door for everyone.”
Spice Waala
Indian Street Food
Spice Waala was started with the core values of being a business that bridges the gap between business and social justice. After COVID-19 pandemic impacted Seattle, Uttam Mukherjee and Aakanksha Sinha wanted to find a way to support the rapidly increasing number of people impacted by hunger and partnered with local non profits like Community Lunch at Capitol Hill and Mary’s place to serve vegetarian/ vegan meals. These meals help fill the gap for those individuals that are vegetarian and also provide a culturally relevant option for the large immigrant community in Seattle that are impacted by hunger. They have been serving 200 meals every week since March 2020.
Theary Cambodian Foods
Cambodian/Khmer
When Theary Ngeth was 5 years old, she and her family escaped the Khmer Rouge on foot, making a dangerous journey through the jungle from Cambodia to Thailand. They were among thousands of Cambodians who fled genocide, survived brutal conditions in refugee camps, and eventually resettled in the United States. These refugees endured many losses, including important parts of their culinary heritage. Theary launched Theary Cambodian Foods in October to provide comfort and connection for her fellow Cambodians, and to preserve and share her cultural food traditions.
Jalissa Culinary Co.
Southern Comfort and Global Inspiration
Jalissa Culinary Co. is a blend of Southern comfort and global inspiration, crafting heartwarming meals that celebrate community, traditions, and culinary innovation. Over the past year, Chef Jalissa and her team have intentionally focused on addressing nutritional needs of elders, preparing over 6,400 meals to low-income seniors in Federal Way’s Sustainable Housing for Ageless Generations (SHAG) communities.
Plant Based Food Share
Fresh, nutritious, plant-based meals made with locally sourced produce
Plant Based Food Share was founded by Chef Ariel Bangs, a passionate advocate for food justice, chef, herbalist, culinary anthropologist, and community activist dedicated to transforming lives through food.
Drawing inspiration from her multicultural upbringing, Ariel infuses her work with flavors and traditions from around the world, emphasizing the importance of culturally relevant meals.
Siembra
Local, organic Peruvian food made with love
Alex Dorros is a Seattle native on a mission to keep Seattle vibrant. Through his Colombian roots, he fell in love with Peruvian food while living and traveling in South America. Siembra began when Alex joined his mom Sandra in the kitchen together to share comfort food with people they care about while representing Latinx culture in Seattle.
Strengthening our community is at the heart of what they do. When not focused on pop-ups, Siembra also runs community kitchens for those facing food insecurity in Seattle.
Wasat
Wasat’s Neighborly Needs program promotes economic stability for caterers and independently-owned restaurants, removes barriers to nourishing food, and cultivates community around fresh and hot meals.
Restaurants and caterers they have supported through Good Food Kitchens include Feed the People, Masakan, Andrew Hype, Afella Jollof Catering, Corte Fino, Phresh Eats, Cedars Restaurant, Baked in Bosnia, Kulan Restaurant, Tanoor, Mobile Burgerz, Cafe Turko, Karachi Cowboys, Salima Specialties, Mama Sambusa, Mawadda Cafe, Bananas Grill, Manna, Grillbird, Juba Restaurant, Pam’s Kitchen, Chef Kinetta Johnson, Chef Jeremy Thunderbird, Chef Lakea Osias, Naan n Curry, Olympic Express, el xalal tacos, and Southwest Deli & Grocery.
Feed the People
202 W Gowe St, Kent, Washington 98032
Feed The People is a community-focused, black-led initiative based in Seattle, WA. Through FTP, Chef Tarik Abdullah operates a community kitchen and leads youth development programs, for the love of food. Feed The People envisions communities where nourishing food is accessible, where youth grow up with strong personal connections to food and mentors, and where culinary skills are integral to youth development.
Masakan
Malaysian
Safira Ezani and her mother Masitah Hamzah started catering as a side project for a few years before jumping into the Seattle pop-up world in 2021. As Masakan, Ezani and Hamzah serve up Malaysian dishes at rotating pop-up locations. Feeding those in need has always been part of their mission.
“Before incorporating Masakan, we have been volunteering in making free meals for the homeless or using food sales to fundraise for causes,” Ezani said. “Making community meals is where compassion intersects with our ability to cook for others.”