Our Mission
Little John's is the community's kitchen for transforming food excess into accessible, chef-quality meals for everyone, regardless of their means.
PRINCIPLE N° 01
Food Excess
About 80 million tons, or 35%, of all food produced in America is wasted. Food waste happens at every phase, from the farm to the house.
As grocery store consumers we expect perfect produce, fully stocked shelves, and distant expiration dates. To fulfill these expectations, farmers and producers sort out imperfect food and grocers purchase excess product. Wasted food is the single largest component of municipal landfills.
Little John’s partners with farmers, producers, suppliers, and grocery stores, taking nutritious ingredients that would otherwise be thrown away and transforms them into nutritious, delicious meals.
PRINCIPLE N° 02
Food Access
38 million Americans live in food insecure homes. Hunger is caused by the complicated issues related to the disadvantages surrounding poverty.
For people who are struggling, especially folks with children, accepting help from food pantries can feel shameful. For those experiencing homelessness, lack of food preparation or storage space, lack of transportation, and scheduling conflicts, can create a situation where healthy food options are not feasible.
Our hope is to eliminate shame around food access, creating a consumer experience that is the same for everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status.
PRINCIPLE N° 03
Serving Our Nation
44% of US veterans leave their first post-military job within a year, primarily due to a lack of fit. During active service, members of the military are trained for a specific job, which they perform successfully as part of a team. Upon returning home, veterans are faced with a job market that often doesn’t feature a match for their skill set, or the sense of purpose and belonging that they have become accustomed to through service.
Kitchens mimic the hierarchy of military life and give specific boundaries and expectations to each member of the team. Little John’s is propelled by a greater, overarching need—providing food for everyone—and this greater good provides feelings of purpose to everyone involved.
In our future facility, Little John’s aims to hire veterans for a paid, six-month, training contract. Once graduated from our program, Little John’s would assist veterans in finding long-term positions in the food service industry or connecting them with resources to continue on in a degreed culinary program for further training.
