Michelin-starred chef Adam Simmonds has a lot to celebrate when he looks back on his career as a chef.
But Home Kitchen, Simmonds’ high-end restaurant in London’s Primrose Hill, is especially notable.
From truffle mash topped with guinea fowl to winter fruits poached with red wine, the restaurant boasts a number of mouthwatering dishes — but it’s Home Kitchen’s staff that makes the restaurant exceedingly rare.
In a world-first, everyone in the fine-dining establishment — whether they are seating tables or chopping vegetables in the kitchen — has experienced homelessness.
“We’ve given it a new identity and a purpose,” Simmonds told The Guardian in September 2024, when the restaurant first opened. “Without a purpose, it’s nothing, right?”
Michael Brown, a co-founder of Home Kitchen, said the vision was borne out of his experience working at Soup Kitchen London — a nonprofit that combats homelessness through food, clothing donations, and mental health support.
He believes that Home Kitchen is a small way to combat the “very flawed public perceptions of what it is to be homeless.”
“We just thought, hang on a minute, there’s a rich resource of people who want economic opportunities,” Brown said. “We can do something about this.”
Jeremy is one of 16 employees who work at Home Kitchen. Before becoming a food runner, he struggled to find a job as he lived on the streets.
“I didn’t have a stable upbringing – no parents, no family, no support,” he told The Guardian. “And when you don’t come from a stable environment, you don’t have those support networks, you’re going to struggle.”
Home Kitchen marks Jeremy’s first job — ever. He carries his title with pride.
“We’re here to do a job, build ourselves up,” Jeremy said. “We don’t want pity, we want to be treated like everyone else. We’ve been given a chance that perhaps we have not had in our lives. And the fine dining environment, this is fantastic.”
Lily — another employee — became homeless shortly after she moved to England seeking asylum. She said she immediately felt at home when took on the job.
“I think it is like my second home and every time I come here, I come with a smile and every time I leave, I’m leaving with my smile,” Lily said.
In addition to employing people who are chronically homeless, the restaurant itself is a nonprofit organization, which supports Soup Kitchen London’s mission to feed 150 people every day.
“By simply booking a table and dining with us, you'll be making a difference,” reads a statement on the restaurant’s website.
“Your support will help us transform lives and provide more opportunities for those in need to find meaningful work.”
To set their employees up for success, every Home Kitchen staff member is given a living wage, a pre-paid travel card for transportation, and funds for a catering qualification.
“After they pass their three-month probationary period, they will attend a day release course at Westminster Kingsway College, as well as training on the job with us at Home Kitchen until they get their City & Guilds catering qualification,” Simmonds told Stir It Up magazine in January.
“I’m guessing some will stay with us and train others, which is fantastic. Or we will find them a job in the industry and follow up with them and if they’re not happy, find them other work.”
Although Home Kitchen just opened their first location in Primrose Hill, London they have their eyes set on expanding — first to the seaside town of Brighton in East Sussex, and then to San Francisco in the U.S.
But wherever Home Kitchen expands to next, Simmonds said that he and Brown are dedicated to combatting the social stigma surrounding homelessness.
“We provide the platform for them to shine — whether it’s working in the kitchen or front of house — and they’re all coming on leaps and bounds,” Simmonds said.
“They’ve faced a lot of uncertainty in life,” Simmonds admitted, “but they still have a smile — and we have a great working environment.”
Header images via Home Kitchen / Home Kitchen Instagram
