One World Café cooks up a recipe for others to follow

August 6th, 2010 @ 6:12pm

By Jed Boal

SALT LAKE CITY -- A Café in Salt Lake has discovered there's a growing appetite for its altruistic approach to business. There's no set menu, you pay what you can and a national chain is even testing out the business model.

Eight years ago, One World Café opened up at 41 S. 300 East with a simple goal: feed hungry people in the community with good organic food. There was no cash register, and diners paid whatever they thought was fair.

Now, research shows that model works, and others are eager to learn the recipe.

One World Café

Where: 41 S. 300 East Salt Lake City
Hours: Monday - Saturday: 11 am - 10 pm
Sunday: 9 am - 5 pm
What: No menu, no prices. Customers pay what they want.
For more information click here.

 

KSL caught up with the lunch crowd at One World as they enjoyed the best balanced meal head chef Giovanni Bouderbala dreamed up Friday: salmon and crab cakes, organic stir-fry vegetables and vegan chocolate cake for dessert.

The restaurant now has a cash register and a board with suggested prices, but you still pay what you want, or you can work for a meal.

"In One World, we're all here in the same place," says Bouderbala. "We can help each other. Somebody else will drop a couple extra bucks for you. That's how it works."

Then you drop a couple of extra buck for them, when you can.

The original owner now consults businesses nationwide that are giving the concept a try. Panera Bakery, a national chain, now runs a pay-what-you-want store in St. Louis and plans to open two more.

So if our traditional way of life and economy is hitting the skis - where is the new one that might take its place?

I am looking at the really "Old Economy" and the really Old Culture that sustained us for millions of year - the tribal hunter gatherer society.

But I am not looking at it with the view of us living in caves but as people in the 14th century looked back at the Classic times at the advent of the Renaissance. Looking back at the truths, lessons and useful ideas that were forgotten and that could be used in new ways.

One of the ideas that made humans different from all apes other than Bonobos - who also like us love recreational and social sex - was the sharing of food. We are hard wired to share food.

Next to sex, sharing food is at the heart of human social interaction.

One World Cafe uses a business model based on this idea. I see it as a "Renaissance Idea" an old idea rooted in our deepest nature that was forgotten and can be revived because it works and it is suited to who we are.

Here is more on the idea:

The One World Everybody Eats foundation is an outgrowth of One World Cafe in Salt Lake City, Utah. The concept began when owner Denise Cerreta in mid 2003 had an epiphany to serve organic food, let people choose their own portions and let them price those portions themselves. Since then, she's gained local, national and world-wide notoriety for her pay as you go prices, seasonal no menu organic cuisine, living wages, minimal food waste and healthy meals that are within everyone's reach.

By encouraging people to savor the meal, Ms. Cerreta is attempting to help people see the value of food as more than a mere consumable but rather, as a glue and a catalyst for healthy people, relationships and communities. Customers are able to seat themselves in a relaxed atmosphere that is condusive to conversation; opposite to the usual public dining experience of isolation. Because our customers choose their own prices, their portions tend to be more mindful and reflect that they will actually want to eat, with the result being little or no food waste. We've realized that this makes more food available and we expect this will make the concept exportable and adoptable worldwide.

Philosophy meets business through her desire to pay her workers a living wage, as well provide volunteer options for those who would prefer a "hand up" rather than a hand out. For every hour someone gives to our foundation, they can receive a voucher for a full meal, and children under 8 can eat with a parent on the same vouncher. Plus, there is always a complimentary staple dish that everyone can eat regardless of means. Denise and the staff knew the model was successful on the day that there were several people eating, all of whom had volunteered earlier in the week and had redeemed their vouchers. But all were eating anonymously and with dignity.
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One World Everybody Eats wants to see a community kitchen in every city in the world, but our focus for this has changed. We began with a short list of U.S. cities, but soon found people were contacting us about how to follow our lead much faster than we could ever establish kitchens ourselves. Denise will talk more about that. But what that has allowed us to do is to take the focus off setting up more OWEE-like entities ourselves, and letting the enthusiasm of people with the desire to follow us do so instead. We may still want to put a "Salt Lake" kitchen in some of our original locations, such as Seattle, Boston and others. But right now, we're satisfied to be in contact with people who are trying to do the same thing. To learn more, watch our video at www.YouTube.com, and see a short employee slideshow at www.MySpace.com.