ONE WORLD EVERYBODY EATS FOUNDATION

Our Organization

Welcome

The One World Everybody Eats Foundation is an outgrowth of the non profit community cafe, One World Cafe in Salt Lake City, Utah. The concept began when owner Denise Cerreta in mid 2003 had an epiphany to serve food, let people choose their own portions and let them price those portions themselves. Since then, she’s gained local, national and world-wide notoriety for her pay what you can prices, seasonal no organic menu, organic cuisine, living wages, minimal food waste and healthy meals that are within everyone’s reach.

By encouraging people to savor the meal, Ms. Cerreta is attempting to help people see the value of food as more than a mere consumable but rather, as a glue and a catalyst for healthy people, relationships and communities. Customers are able to seat themselves in a relaxed atmosphere that is condusive to conversation; opposite to the usual public dining experience of isolation. Because our customers choose their own prices, their portions tend to be more mindful and reflect that they will actually want to eat, with the result being little or no food waste. We’ve realized that this makes more food available and we expect this will make the concept exportable and adoptable worldwide.

Philosophy meets business through her desire to pay her workers a living wage, as well provide volunteer options for those who would prefer a “hand up” rather than a hand out. For every hour someone gives to our foundation, they can receive a voucher for a full meal, and children under 8 can eat with a parent on thame vouncher. Plus, there is always a complimentary staple dish that everyone can eat or oncorporate into their budget regardless of means. Denise and the staff knew the model was successful on the day that there were several people eating, all of whom had volunteered earlier in the week and had redeemed their vouchers. But all were eating anonymously and with dignity.

We are also proud of our volunteer program. Not only can someone earn a meal, but also learn a skill in the food service industry that can lead to future employment.

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One World Everybody Eats wants to help establish non profit community cafe or restaurant in every city in the world. We began with a short list of U.S. cities that we would grow into, but soon found people were contacting us about how to follow our lead much faster than we could ever establish cafes ourselves. Denise will talk more about that. But what that has allowed us to do is to take the focus off setting up more OWEE-like entities ourselves, and letting the enthusiasm of people with the desire to replicate the model do so instead. We consider the growing number of One World type venues a “Family of Community Cafes” and our proud to be part of it. To learn more, watch our video at www.YouTube.com, and see a short employee slideshow at www.MySpace.com.

Overview

One World Salt Lake City is located at 41 South, 300 East beside the Utah College of Massage Therapy near downtown Salt Lake City (CLICK HERE for MAP). There is a main dining area near the kitchen and five, semi-private dining areas. Guests may also eat at patio areas in front of the cafe and out back under the tree. Total seating capacity is about 80. The kitchen has no set menu. This lets the cooks use their creativity to prepare a variety of seasonal soups, salads, entrees, and desserts. The food stuffs are as organic and local as possible and the cuisine ranges from vegetarian, to meat and fish. There is a large vegan selection. The cafe provides water, espresso coffee drinks and teas, regular and soy milk but no soft drinks or alcohol. You may bring your own non-alcoholic drinks if you like.

One World Salt Lake asks guests to pay what they feel the meal warranted based on suggested prices. You are asked to choose your own portions so as not to waste food or over eat. Although the cafe is a non-profit establishment, it still must meet regular business expenses. No one in the community is turned away for inability to pay. There are additional ways to earn a meal if you do not have money. Any extra you may want to donate above the suggested price of your meal goes to support meals for members of our community that may be food insecure right now and have earned a meal.

One World Salt Lake serves guests from a serving line. Because the food is prepared in the open, it encourages conversation about the food, the concept and the feel of the cafe, which is unlike anything you may have experienced. The motto of founder Denise Cerreta is “Building community, one meal at a time,” meaning, anyone can eat. If a guest finds they don’t have enough money to pay for their meal, they can volunteer to wash dishes, clean or work in the garden. The cafe also serves a complimentary entree such as”Dal and Rice”, a traditional meal from the Indian subcontinent, absolutely free to all guests. Dal and rice provides a healthy, high-protein meal that truly lets everybody eat. The cafe also maintains an organic garden and hosts periodic classes on the cultivation of herbs, spices and vegetables. One World Salt Lake also provides catering for events. For more information, call 801-519-2002 or to get in touch with our executive director and chef David Spittler call him directly at 720 810 8995.

Volunteers

The One World Everybody Eats volunteer program offers volunteers a food voucher for each hour donated. If guests find they don’t have enough money to pay for their meal, they can volunteer to work in the kitchen, our garden or elsewhere in the community. The cafe offers these volunteer options that can fit anyone’s abilities, regardless of age, health or physical limitations. That program has been expanded to an apprenticeship program. In addition to meal vouchers, individuals who work in the kitchen for a set number of hours will receive a letter of recommendation for experience in certain aspects of kitchen procedure like dishwashing, prep cook, etc. They can then take this training with them, if they choose, to other opportunities in the food service industry. This is another example of Denise Cerreta’s philosophy of a hand up rather than a hand out.

Wish List

One World Salt Lake City Community Kitchen, has a wish list. The wish list is those things the cafe would like to see the cafe get to help it do more of its work, In the past, the list has included everything from tools and appliances to skymiles and soup bowls. Items are donated to our wish list at the pleasure of our customers and partners.

One World Salt Lake City Community Kitchen: Updated 7/14/10

  • 3 foot wide dessert display fridge
  • desk top or lap top computer
  • a Green House!! for the back lot
  • a small trailer to transport our recycled cardboard and compost
  • Organic spices of any kind
  • Organic tea and Coffee
  • Extra vegetables from your garden ( Not SPRAYED)
  • Solar Panels for the top of our building
  • 15-20 extra customers a day
  • China coffee mugs
  • espresso cups and saucers
  • Home Depot or Lowes gift certificates for property upgrades
  • plumbing or electrical assistance
  • Natural cleaning supplies
  • Backyard Fruit (We’ll pick it.) NOT SPRAYED
  • Organic Pasta
  • Organic beans and grains Especially BROWN RICE AND LENTILS
  • bio degradable dish soap
  • gallons of bleach
  • Large Garbage Bags
  • Pie pans
  • toilet paper, and napkins.
  • Fluorescent light bulbs
  • Organic food

* One World Everybody Eats is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization. Value of donations made may be deducted for tax purposes.