Homeless charity Caritas has just opened its first restaurant at Centro Le Torri in Villa Vogel in Florence, where the association also runs one of its lunchtime meal centres.
The menu is prepared by chef Gabriele Andreoni and the long-standing chef of the Carlo Mazzola Foundation, while the wait staff consists of volunteers and people who benefit from the services provided by Caritas, such as minors from reception centres, students from catering college who already work in city canteens with their teachers, pensioners, people doing civil service and young people with disabilities. Once approved, the bread for the restaurant will be made by a former baker who sought shelter in Caritas’s Il Samaritano house.
“It’s a dream come true, following in the footsteps of Danilo Cubattoli and Ghita Vogel, who donated the structure to us,” comments Vincenzo Lucchetti, president of the Caritas Solidarity Foundation. “We are happy that the first evening was a success: it was emotional for the diners and for the people in the kitchen and on the restaurant floor.”
Serving pizzas, burgers, pasta and street food to the general public, the restaurant is open on Thursday to Sunday evenings.
