Massimo Bottura is famous for upending Italian cuisine at Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, which topped the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for 2016. With his refettorio—or “dining hall”—projects, he’s doing a different kind of groundbreaking work. Beginning with 2015’s Refettorio Ambrosiano in Milan, followed by outposts in Rio, London and, soon, the US, Bottura is helping to feed the hungry, reduce the 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste accumulated each year, and rebuild communities. How do the refettorios work? Food for Soul [Bottura’s nonprofit] connects with local charitable organisations, [and] these groups invite the poor and homeless people we serve each week—as many as 100 meals per day in Milan. An abandoned theatre was donated by a Catholic church in Milan, and in London we’ve partnered with an established soup kitchen and drop-in centre. In Rio and Milan, we can offer meals for free because all the meals are made with surplus ingredients donated by supermarkets, suppliers and local markets, and the staff are mostly volunteers. Food for Soul has four full-time people, and there are a few permanent employees at each refettorio, like a supervisor, a head chef and, in the case of Milan, a social worker. Rio also has a culinary school, offering job training for young people, in addition to a community kitchen. We find the volunteer staff through press, social media and local churches. The London soup kitchen, Felix—named in
memory of a young soccer player who cared deeply about the welfare of others— is currently in need of a lot of love and energy from people in the area. That is a mission of Food for Soul: to activate communities. Where did this idea begin? The idea of not wasting food came from my grandmother. She taught me the deep Italian culinary traditions of not taking even a breadcrumb for granted. For the refettorios, we found so many new ways for using ingredients that would otherwise be thrown away. But we can all be better about not wasting food, cleaning out our refrigerators by eating and cooking everything in them, and learning how to rethink the lifespan of ingredients. You’ve described Food for Soul as a cultural project, not a charity. How does that translate at the refettorios? The idea, from the beginning, was to not just feed our guests but to make them feel at home, cared for and respected. We work with local architects, designers, and artists to create beautiful, light-filled spaces. Art on the walls, no plastic plates or cups but real ceramic and glass, freshly baked bread, and delicious three-course meals. Volunteers address guests by name, converse and welcome them, day after day. This is part of nourishment—not only what goes into the body but what the body perceives. I’ve always believed that food, art and creativity are a universal language. Ethics and aesthetics go hand in hand.
the power grid during the day, demand surged in the evening, requiring utilities to run fossilfuel plants for backup power.
FOR TURNING BUILDINGS INTO GIANT BAT TERIES Susan P. Kennedy Co-founder, CEO, Advanced Microgrid Solutions
TH E PR OB L E M : As chief of staff to California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Susan Kennedy helped oversee a massive increase in the state’s renewableenergy capacity—and witnessed its unintended consequences. While solar power helped bring down the overall energy draw on
TH E E PIPH A N Y: Inspired by hybridcar technology—and falling prices for lithium-ion batteries— Kennedy and co-founder Jackie Pfannenstiel envisioned a plan to equip large buildings with banks of batteries that charge up with electricity from the grid when power is in low demand (and cheap) and switch over to battery power when demand inc reases—reducing strain on the grid. TH E E XE CU TI O N: AMS secured a contract with Southern California Edison in 2014 that includes the retrofitting of 24 large commercial buildings owned by the Irvine Company with hybrid-electric-battery storage systems. The batteries are connected to software that regulates energy use. TH E R E S U LT: The first 13 buildings are now online, with the rest due later this year. Energy cost savings range from 7% to 14%, while utilities get to avoid building backup plants or purchasing power on the spot market.
FOR RESHAPING FITNESSWEAR Tyler Haney Founder, CEO, Outdoor Voices
Tyler Haney grew up playing several sports, but as an adult she gravitated toward activities such as walking her dog or hiking. Like many millennials who are more interested in fitness than competition, she couldn’t find an activewear brand that spoke to her. So she started Outdoor Voices, “a friendly, inclusive call to action that is non-prescriptive.” She created a range of high-performing yet soft fabrics—including her
most recent, Tech Sweat—that are lightweight, fast-drying and worn by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Frank Ocean. Sales have quadrupled, and last year the company raised $13 million (R170.7 million) in funding, bringing total investment to $22.5 million (R295.5 million). It’s been using that money to expand its retail footprint, opening three new stores to go along with its original Austin location.
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