Refettorio Ambrosiano is Pioneering a New Model of Soup Kitchen
Take a peek into what Refettorio Ambrosiano is doing for the community. The service provided by Caritas Ambrosiana was founded to help provide meals to those in need and works to fight against the culture of food waste.
Written by Katie O’Connell, Rhylee Haensel, Corinne Nelson, Anastasiia Lopina
Refettorio Ambrosiano, located in Piazza Greco of Milan, is a project that was founded with the goal of helping those suffering from food instability by providing a place to go to receive free meals while fostering a sense of community and culture. The Refettorio was implemented under the auspices of Caritas Ambrosiana — an office of the Archbishop’s Curia of the Diocese of Milan, which aims to promote social justice, peace and human development. The project idea was conceived by Massimo Bottura and Davide Rampello in an attempt to negate what is referred to as “throwaway culture”, an idea widely denounced by Pope Francis in Italy.
Together, Davide led the transformation of the building while Massimo led the development of the cuisine. Davide Rampello is an “artistic director and curator” who has served in many roles such as a professor, cultural advisor, and manager for national artistic institutions around the world. Massimo Bottura is a world renowned Italian chef who owns a three Michelin star restaurant and is known for using his influence to advocate for sustainable food practices and reduction of waste within the food industry. The building underwent a massive transformation from the former abandoned theatre to the beautiful restored building it is today, which is pictured below. The building has an artistic feel, and the entrance was designed with the function of the building in mind. The entrance contains elements of life, such as “water, bread, but also the earth, feet and the eternal transmigration of peoples.”
Born from the renovation of an abandoned theater, the Refettorio is located in a suburban district of Milan at Piazza Greco, 11, 20125 Milano MI. The Refettorio is easily accessible through public transport, such as the bus or metro system in Milan, as well as by car. However, keep in mind that public and street parking may be limited in this area. It is open five days a week for dinner from 5 PM-8 PM and is closed on the weekends. The Refettorio offers a wide variety of services beyond just merely operating as a soup kitchen. The word Refettorio comes from Latin, which means ‘to re-make’ or ‘to restore’. With support from sponsors, the Refettorio is able to provide meals to those suffering from food instability along with a sense of community and support, restoration of food surplus and waste, animation and entertainment to young adults/children, and cultural event opportunities.
One of the services Refettorio Ambrosiano offers is the hosting of many types of cultural events. These events come in many forms that are curated and hosted by the facility of Refettorio Ambrosiano’s volunteers. Often these events are specialized to continue the organization’s goals of showing the value of food and bringing awareness to the waste of goods including “throwaway culture”. Refettorio Ambrosiano cultural events are presented in many forms including concerts and shows that are held inside of the facility for all members of the community of Greco as well as the neighboring communities. Beyond shows, Refettorio Ambrosiano also hosts a program of conferences and meetings that continue to share the organization’s goals and values. The varying cultural events help continue Refettorio Ambrosiano’s overall goal of reflection on waste culture through community connection. Hosting these events allows for the sharing of new ideas, experiences, and projects. The calendar for these events can be found on Refettorio Ambrosiano’s website here. The cultural events hold a place for members of the community and give them a place to be known and comfortable. Refettorio Ambrosiano hopes to house a place for the community members to connect and spread positivity. The sharing of culture and food allows for the family feeling and produces a “self-mutual” generation of change.
The Refettorio Ambrosiano combines its goals of sharing food and culture not only through the community it houses but also through the creation and design of the facilities’ tables. During the start of Refettorio Ambrosiano, the creators stuck to specific design principles to create a welcoming environment for the community and these principles often parallel the symbolic role of the table. Throughout history, especially in the Bible, a table represents a meeting place for sharing, understanding, and welcoming, which the Refettorio Ambrosiano shares through multiple services they offer for the community.
Refettorio Ambrosiano worked closely with Riva 1920, a reputable furniture company, to create thirteen tables specialized for the facility. Riva 1920 selects high-quality wood to create its furniture pieces with the goal of fostering the preservation of artisan works from history. Many architects and artists including Mario Bellini, Pierluigi Cerri, Aldo Cibic, Antonio Citterio, and many more worked to create the tables for Refettorio Ambrosiano. The goal behind designing the tables was to balance the ethics of woodworking with the aesthetics of architecture while creating a welcoming environment that cultivates positivity and creativity. Each table houses its own meaning and individual creation story which allows for a unique experience every time one is used for dining or another service.
Refettorio Ambrosiano has many social network pages that provide a strong interconnectedness between the organization and its followers. In particular, Refettorio has an official page on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X). Along with that, you can find a YouTube channel on the official page of Caritas Ambrosiana, with the support of which the project for assistance to those in need was implemented. Equally important is the fact that Refettorio Ambrosiano has its own website, where you can find plenty of key information about the project.
In its social appearance, the Refettorio portrays the work that it does as well as the social programs that it follows. It helps donors or individuals from Milan to better understand the activities of the social project, its function, and the achieved results.
Focusing in on their website, the Refettorio has been reported to be a place that “aims to nourish the body and spirit through the beauty of the works it preserves and the relationships it fosters”. It highlights that in 2023, 26,000 free meals were provided to the needy, more than 30 culinary master classes for the elderly were organized, and 1,600 children received educational assistance that was aimed at raising awareness about nutrition, lifestyle and food waste. In addition, Refettorio Ambrosiano organized 42 cultural initiatives, concerts, and shows aimed at entertaining the people. Refettorio emphasized that these initiatives for the needy and their projects would not be implemented without the support of more than 70 volunteers and operators who make efforts to make the organization flourish. Refettorio Ambrosiano points out, reporting on the last year:
With this being said, volunteers and individuals willing to help the organization out as a whole, play a significant role in the project. It goes a long way for people to spend their free time serving others who are less fortunate than them, especially when they are doing it out of the kindness of their hearts, not because they’re getting paid, or getting any commission for that matter. Volunteers who work for the benefit of the organization are put to work as table servers. Anyone can join Refettorio Ambrosiano’s team to help the needy. The project inspires those who wish to:
Therefore, if you want to help people and be involved in the social activities of the Milan organization, then this opportunity is definitely for you! Moreover, on the website, the concrete requirements can be found. This allows everyone to understand what characteristics are more applicable to volunteers the organization looks for. They are the following:
- seriousness
- punctuality
- readiness for permanent commitment and learning something new
- hardworking.
If you recognize yourself as portraying these qualities, Refettorio will invite you to fill out an application which can be found on the official website in the section DIVENTA VOLONTARIO. Once your application has been submitted, you will be contacted for an interview where you can discuss exactly how you can be beneficial to the organization and what role you can fulfill. However, becoming a volunteer is not the only way to be involved in a social project. Making a donation or providing products to the organization is also a good alternative for social action.
A monetary donation can be made on a separate platform which can be found on Caritas Ambrosiana’s website. It is also noted that all questions about donations can be solved by calling the following number: 02.40703424, where authorized individuals can provide additional information and guidance on filling out bank accounts or postal receipts. Consultations are carried out from Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 20:00.
On the other hand, donation of goods and products is also possible. In most cases, this initiative can be intriguing for companies or distributors who have a large stock of products, and have the ability to donate large amounts. Some ideas of what you can donate are food, cleaning products, kitchenware, or bathroom products. You can take part in the social initiative on the website in the section DONA BENI E PRODOTTI. There is an application, where you must specify your personal data and also provide a brief description of the products you are going to give and their quantity.
If you are still interested in being involved in a new type of soup kitchen, Join Refettorio Ambrosiano’s team and make your social contribution!
While combining its goals of reducing waste and bringing food as well as cultural experiences to the Greco community, Refettorio Ambrosiano has built an organization that promotes creativity and communication. This allows all members to find a place in their community to both express themselves and connect with others. Visit Refettorio Ambrosiano at Piazza Greco, 11, 20125 Milano MI, Italy Monday through Friday from 5 PM-8 PM.
Disclaimer: A new development in the recent years since the lockdown, due to Covid, is that there is little to no visitors allowed inside, unless you are there for the service of receiving the meals. They speak little to no english, which can be restricting for some, depending on where they come from. Due to this, if you are looking to receive information in person, it may be a bit difficult as we experienced.
