Celebrating holidays through food is a tried-and-true tradition. This Thanksgiving, consider eating not only for your own enjoyment, but to benefit others as well.
On Saturday, November 20, the Central Square restaurant Rendezvous will help you do just that. The restaurant is celebrating its fifth birthday by hosting a fundraiser for Food For Free, a nonprofit organization also located in Cambridge. Food For Free responds to local hunger by rescuing fresh food that might otherwise go to waste and distributing it within the emergency food system, where it can reach those in need.
For just $25, diners will enjoy three special courses. The appetizer is a choice of Boston lettuce salad with sliced apples, Shelburne Farms cheddar, spiced pecans + cider vinaigrette, or butternut squash soup with crème fraîche and fried sage. For the entree, diners can choose crispy roast chicken with autumn vegetables and rooftop rosemary, or cassoulet of braised pork and garlic sausage. Dessert is Rendezvous's signature sweet, lemon-buttermilk pudding with huckleberry sauce.
The partnership between Rendezvous and Food For FreeIn is a natural fit for Steve Johnson, the restaurant's chef/owner. He says, "It is our philosophical bond with Food For Free’s mission ‘to bridge the gap between waste and want’ and our alignment with their practical application of strategies and resources.’" He and General Manager Nicole Bernier are also pleased to be supporting a neighbor nonprofit, finding it meaningful and personally satisfying to nurture such relationships and agencies within the community.
Johnson and Food For Free also share a commitment to supporting local farmers and suppliers. Food For Free's Produce Rescue Program rescues fresh food from Farmers’ Markets and other local sources, distributing it to 74 emergency food programs across Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston. As their website explains, "By prioritizing fresh fruits and vegetables, our programs address not only hunger, but also nutrition, obesity, and diet-related disease."
Reservations for this special benefit luncheon are available at 11:30 AM and 1 PM, and can be made by calling the restaurant at (617) 576.1900. Reserve now, and eat happily knowing that 100% of the proceeds will go to support Produce Rescue, the heart of Food For Free’s work.
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