Chef Ryan ‘Hidi’ Hidinger and his wife Jen. Image Credit: Giving Kitchen/Website
More than a decade later, the organisation has provided $18 million in financial assistance and helped 40,000 workers across the United States. Atlanta chef Ryan Hidinger received a terminal cancer diagnosis that threatened to derail his life and the restaurant he had hoped to open with his wife, Jen. What followed was an extraordinary response from friends, colleagues and the wider restaurant community, who rallied to help the couple through an incredibly difficult period. Their generosity eventually inspired Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting food service workers facing personal emergencies.
The restaurant community organised a fundraising event called Team Hidi in early 2013. Approximately 800 restaurant workers and supporters attended the fundraiser, generating more than $275,000, according to The Bitter Southerner. The organisation was founded in 2013, with the initial fundraising proceeds helping other food service workers in crisis.
The beginnings of Giving Kitchen were rooted in a personal crisis rather than a formal charitable initiative. As explained in the organisation’s official account of its history, Hidinger was working at Muss & Turner’s in the Atlanta area while preparing to launch Staplehouse, a restaurant he had envisioned with his wife. The idea for a nonprofit emerged during conversations among Hidinger, his wife and friends who had witnessed the community’s response. They realised that restaurant workers experiencing illness, injury or other emergencies often needed support beyond what their employers could provide. Its mission became providing emergency financial assistance and connecting workers with resources that could help them regain stability. The Local Palate documented Giving Kitchen’s efforts to address substance abuse and addiction within the food service industry. Its programme helps people undertake inpatient treatment by covering essential expenses such as housing, reducing the financial pressure on individuals and their families during recovery. Financial aid may keep a household afloat, while access to healthcare, counselling or other services can help address the circumstances behind the emergency.