Bon Jovi’s community restaurant opens in Red Bank [Asbury Park Press, N.J.]

<table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0><tr><td align=right>Source: </td><td>McClatchy-Tribune Information Services</td></tr><tr><td align=right>Wordcount: </td><td>723</td></tr></table><!-- start_body --><br><p><chron>Oct. 20</chron>--It looks like any other cute <location value="LU/us.nj.redank" idsrc="xmltag.org">Red Bank</location> eatery, a place to go before the theater or to meet friends.</p><p>High ceilings and creamy yellow walls give the space an airy feel. Dark wood tables are set between a wall of windows and the bustling open kitchen. Rainbow beet salad, Garden State gumbo and cornmeal-crusted catfish are among the tempting items on the menu.</p><p>But <org>JBJ Soul Kitchen</org> is not like any other place in town. It is a "community restaurant," designed to feed fresh food to hungry people and to foster a sense of dignity and respect between two distinct customer bases.</p><p>"There are no prices on our menu," said <person>Jon Bon Jovi</person>, who, with his wife, Dorothea, and a slew of volunteers, created the restaurant through his charitable organization, the <org>JBJ Soul Foundation</org>.</p><p>Patrons who can afford to dine out can leave a donation of <money>$20</money> or more in an envelope on their table. Those with less money can earn a voucher for their meal through volunteer work at the <org>Soul Kitchen</org> -- waiting tables, weeding in the organic garden, washing pots and dishes, or doing other chores.</p><p>"At a time when one in five households are living at or below the poverty level, and at a time when one in six households are 'food insecure,' this is a restaurant whose time has come," Bon Jovi said. "This is a place based on and built on community -- by and for the community."</p><p>Bon Jovi spoke during a press conference Wednesday afternoon in a tent set up on the grounds of the <org>Soul Kitchen</org>, at <location>207 Monmouth St.</location> Driving rain and gusty winds kept visitors from lingering in the cheerful garden, with its raised beds of herbs, kale, chard and flowers.</p><p><org value="NASDAQ-NMS:WFM" idsrc="xmltag.org">Whole Foods Market</org> in <location value="LU/us.nj.midown" idsrc="xmltag.org">Middletown</location> will be donating fresh produce and offering storage space to the <org>JBJ Soul Kitchen</org>. The restaurant has a paid staff of three -- two chefs and a bus person -- and a group of volunteers to handle everything else. The kitchen crew is led by executive chef Zeet Peabody and chefs <person>Terrence Stewart</person> and <person>Anthony Serpico</person>.</p><p>"We try to keep it regional and seasonal, using local vendors," Stewart said as a sheet of salmon fillets were prepped for grilling. "It's nothing fancy-shmancy, just good, healthy, fresh-cooked meals."</p><p>The restaurant, which seats about 25, needs two kinds of patrons to thrive: Those who pay cash help to fund the restaurant and those who volunteer to help keep the place running.</p><p>"This is not a handout," said <person>Mimi Box</person>, executive director of the <org>JBJ Soul Foundation</org>. "We need these intersecting populations to make this work."</p><p><org>JBJ Soul Kitchen</org> began in 2009 with pilot programs at St. Anthony's and the Lunch Break soup kitchen, both in <location value="LU/us.nj.redank" idsrc="xmltag.org">Red Bank</location>. The new, permanent location is in a renovated auto body shop at the west end of <location>Monmouth Street</location>, near the train station.</p><p>Bon Jovi, who grew up in <location value="LU/us.nj.saylle" idsrc="xmltag.org">Sayreville</location> and has a home in <location value="LU/us.nj.midown" idsrc="xmltag.org">Middletown</location>, said he chose <location value="LU/us.nj.redank" idsrc="xmltag.org">Red Bank</location> as the site of the <org>Soul Kitchen</org> because "this is <org>Anytown, USA</org>."</p><p>"I have roots here. I've lived here ever since I could afford not to live in my parents' house," Bon Jovi said. "We can fix these problems here.</p><p>"Come and eat and spread the word," Bon Jovi said. "Come be a part of the change you want to see."</p><p>Dr. <person>Eugene Cheslock</person>, president of the <org>Parker Family Health Center</org> in <location value="LU/us.nj.redank" idsrc="xmltag.org">Red Bank</location>, said that the restaurant will be ladling out "a healthy serving of hope" in addition to the proteins, complex carbohydrates and monounsaturated fats in the meals.</p><p><person>Jon and Dorothea Bon Jovi</person> have been avid supporters of the <org>Parker Family Health Center</org>, founded by Cheslock as a means to provide health care to people without health insurance.</p><p>"There are people who can effect change, and they do," Cheslock said.</p><p>The Bon Jovis also were lauded by <location value="LU/us.nj.redank" idsrc="xmltag.org">Red Bank</location> Mayor <person>Pasquale "Pat" Menna</person> and his predecessor, <person>Ed McKenna</person>.</p><p><org>JBJ Soul Kitchen</org> opens for business today. Dinner hours are <chron>5 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays</chron>. Reservations, which are recommended, can be made by calling 732-842-0900. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.jbjsoulkitchen.org">www.jbjsoulkitchen.org</a>.</p><p><person>Kelly-Jane Cotter</person>: 732-643-4276; <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p><p class="shirttail">___</p><p class="shirttail">(c)2011 the Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.)</p><p class="shirttail">Visit the Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.) at www.app.com</p><p class="shirttail">Distributed by MCT Information Services</p>