City Beet Kitchens - Barbara Kleinman Shelter

City Beet Kitchens is part of Project Renewal, a nonprofit whose mission is to end the cycle of homelessness by empowering individuals and families to renew their lives with health, homes, and jobs. Project Renewal serves approximately 15,000 homeless New Yorkers every year.

City Beet Kitchens was established within Project Renewal in 1995 as “Comfort Foods” and rebranded in 2015 as “City Beet Kitchens”. We cater to all organizations for all events—from galas to homeless shelters, plated sit-down meals to boxed lunches. Over 90% of our employees come from our Culinary Arts Training Program.

Project Renewals’ Culinary Arts Training Program is a 6-month-long program for low-income, formerly homeless, and formerly incarcerated adults. it consists of 3 months of training and classwork, then 3 months of interning at local restaurants and corporate dining services. This equips students with on the job experience to succeed in the food industry. We train 200 students each year, and over 80% of graduates have been placed in jobs since the program’s inception. Despite their pasts, our graduates keep their jobs at twice the rate of the industry average.