SoundBites: Music, Food and Change
“ The choices you make, from the food you eat to the music you listen to, can make powerful societal change,” says Robert Egger, Founder and President of DC Central Kitchen. Scores of food and music enthusiasts gathered at the infamous 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. to affirm this idea on Sunday afternoon, enjoying tasty bites, live music and sunshine while making a difference in their community at Soundbites.
Now in its third year, Soundbites is DC Central Kitchen’s annual street fair-style food and music celebration to bring awareness to its cause. Since its founding in 1989, DC Central Kitchen has provided over 25 million meals to low-income and at-risk community members. In addition, the Kitchen offers culinary job training program for unemployed men and women who want to replace homelessness, addiction and incarceration with new careers and changed lives. And that's just the beginning: celebrating everything the DC Central Kitchen does is what Soundbites is all about.
Passionate festival foodies engulfed the 9:30 Club and spilled out onto V St. NW.
Get the best bites and simple recipes to try at home (including P.J. Clarke's Signature Slider Recipe and Delia's perfect Mini Chicken Souvlaki) after the jump:
Partnering with Egger to make Soundbites possible are longtime friends Seth Hurwitz, owner of the 9:30 club (the most highly attended nightclub in the world of its size) and Eric Hilton, legendary DC restaurateur and music icon (of Thievery Corporation). DC Central Kitchen board member, volunteer and celeb-chef Spike Mendelsohn was also on hand to judge the first ever Mixology Madness Cocktail Competition as the festival’s official “Commander in Eats.”
“Soundbites is a simple idea for a new generation of young people,” says Egger. The choices we make in life – what we eat, what music we listen to, what we wear – all have powerful effects on our communities. Specifically, by supporting restaurants and chefs that make socially conscious and responsible decisions in their employment and ingredient-sourcing practices, says Egger, everyone benefits: DC Central Kitchen, restaurants, chefs, and most importantly, the community.
Over the years, the DC Central Kitchen has grown into a successful national enterprise thanks in part to the visionary leadership of Robert Egger. The Campus Kitchens Project involves 7,500 youth annually across the country at high schools and universities in food recovery, meal distribution, and nutritional education. The Kitchen also maintains 13 vegetable gardens, which are often the site of nutritional education sessions (what could be a better classroom?). What can a campus kitchen do for you? Learn more here.
Since Hurwitz donated the 9:30 Club venue and every restaurant participated pro bono, all proceeds from Soundbites will go directly to DC Central Kitchens.
Find out how you can get involved with DC Central Kitchen in your community here.
