Fine Dining for Baltimore's Homeless

Reblogged from PositiveNewsMedia.org

Baltimore Magazine reported on the following story:

Michael Tabrizi - as seen in Baltimore Magazine

Baltimore's upheaval and drama took center stage this spring, with imposed curfews shackling citizens as well as small business owners and restaurateurs. July's Baltimore Restaurant Week should help many eateries to make up for their losses. Even so, Michael Tabrizi has a different goal for his restaurant during the July 20-25 dining celebration.

For those five days, Tabrizi's will close its doors to regular business and spend the time feeding the city's homeless.  The restaurant has teamed up with local shelters to serve elegant, balanced fine dining meals to the area's disenfranchised.

“I decided that, after all of the chaos earlier this year, it would be better to do something for the city to unite the people,” he says. “It isn’t about revenue and money right now, we’ve done restaurant week before and we know the numbers, but right now it’s more important to promote the welfare of the city and its residents rather than to promote the business.”

“These people don’t only suffer from hunger, but also from hopelessness, they feel that they don’t have any dignity anymore,” Tabrizi says. “We want them to come in and feel like they’re cared for.” 

“The main goal is just to show people that actions do matter. Baltimore has a long way to recover and we can’t just rely on other people to lead. It’s our city,” Tabrizi says. “My dad used to always say, ‘You can’t control what people do and say, but you can control how you act.’ My reaction is bringing people together and showing them that I care.”

Visit BaltimoreMagazine.net for more on this grass roots initiative to feed the homeless with dignity and grace.