Volunteer Stephen Fusco, left, and General Manager Lou Morreale work in the kitchen of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen, which will celebrate its third anniversary in Red Bank next month. Lou Morreale, the general manager of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen, worried that the restaurant might not be self-sustainable when it opened in 2011.
It was a natural fear for Morreale to have. It was possible that the Soul Kitchen’s business model — under which customers pay for their meal via donation or earn their meal by volunteering at the restaurant — might not connect with the community as smoothly as expected. Three years later, the verdict is in: It works. “We’re way above our numbers from last year,” Morreale said. “Last year, we were doing 700 people a month, and now we’re doing about 1,100 a month … more people are taking notice. A lot more people are taking notice, actually.”
Dolly Bonilla, the Soul Kitchen’s front-of-house manager, said the restaurant became a second home for her after she started working there to earn extra cash. As the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen celebrates its three-year anniversary in October, the Red Bank restaurant will also celebrate the integral role it has played in the community.
In addition to providing a menu of fresh, delectable dining options, the Soul Kitchen also provides job skills and resources for volunteers of all different backgrounds, including those who are out of work, homeless or looking to build upon their skill set.
Currently, the restaurant has more than 400 volunteers and is operating on a ratio of close to 50 percent, meaning that half the customers are coming in for dinner and donating a fee, and the other half are volunteering.
Customers are also seated for dinner alongside the in-need volunteers, allowing the Soul Kitchen to truly serve as a social hub of the community,
According to Morreale, the continued mission of the restaurant is to offer more than just a meal.
“We want to give [our volunteers] dignity, empower them, and give them help and move them on,” he said. “We don’t just want to feed them. We’re not a soup kitchen. Don’t call us a soup kitchen. It’s a soul, community kitchen.”
In addition to receiving valuable skills that come from working in a culinary setting, volunteers are eligible for the restaurant’s Employment and Empowerment Team (EET) program. After working three shifts, volunteers can receive help from a résumé writer or job hunter, free of charge.
Last year, 28 people found jobs elsewhere based on their work at the Soul Kitchen.
Belford resident Stephen Fusco has been a volunteer since December. He was encouraged by his wife — a big fan of Bon Jovi — to dedicate his free time at the restaurant.
“I never expected it to be this good,” said Fusco, who works in the kitchen. “I was reluctant to do it, and I decided to try it, and slowly but surely, I started becoming good friends with the people that work here, and the group of people that volunteer are very good people.
“I met Jon Bon Jovi and his wife numerous times, and they’re very down-to-earth. They treat you very good, so I don’t mind coming here.”
Fusco said his favorite memory of the Soul Kitchen was a party thrown for volunteers at the nearby Two River Theater. Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea Hurley, were in attendance.
The restaurant has several events planned for October, including Chef Nights, where a major chef is brought to the Soul Kitchen for the evening. Previous names have included Mario Batali and Tom Colicchio.
There will also be a chili cook-off on Oct.
11, which will lead into a week of festivities to celebrate the Soul Kitchen’s anniversary.
Dolly Bonilla, the Soul Kitchen’s front-ofhouse manager, originally started working there to earn some extra cash, but the restaurant has turned into her second home.
“The best feeling in the world for me is to have two families sit together, or two couples sit together, and they leave as friends,” Bonilla said. “They break bread, and they come back again as friends.”
The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen is located at 207 Monmouth St., Red Bank. For more information, visit jbjsoulkitchen.org.