 "Photo: Zack Berlat")
A lunch of trout barley soup, white sauce spinach pizza, roasted vegetables, and fresh mixed greens, all coming from local suppliers. Price? Whatever you can swing.
Walking into One World Spokane, a nonprofit community kitchen at 1804 E. Sprague Ave., is pleasing to the senses. Local artwork hangs on the mellow green walls and the aroma from the meals is enticing. Customers openly view an assembly line of cooks and food warmers. The dining experience is nontraditional, and the food is fantastic.
"We have three goals: one, to serve mostly organic food, two, to reduce food waste, and three, to reduce hunger," said chef Virlinda Severance, a graduate of the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy at Spokane Community College.
One World offers what Severance calls "the complimentary meal." During all hours they are open, the kitchen offers at least a whole-grain dish free for those who cannot afford to make a small donation. "This is a tangible way that we can be helping people who don't have what we have," Severance said.
Customers are welcome to go through the assembly line and try any of the entrees or sides offered. One World asks that customers make a "fair-market" donation for whatever they eat.
Severance said this helps cut down on waste because people are asked to honestly request the portion they plan to consume. The complimentary aspect also fits with the One World mission that no one should go hungry. The complimentary meal is sustaining to members in the community who cannot afford food.
One World is considered a restaurant, but there are differences in both the preparation and consumption processes. Severance and her volunteers practice "small batch cooking." Through preparing smaller amounts than a regular restaurant, One World does not have to deal with throwing away an excess of pre-prepared food at close. For example, in a restaurant, if soup is a special, the kitchen may prepare 2 gallons of soup. If the customers do not order 2 gallons of soup, the business throws away an excessive amount of leftovers.
Since the small batch technique is used to reduce waste, the menu at One World changes daily, sometimes hourly, depending on a dish's popularity. Severance and volunteers keep preparing dishes based on the ingredients they have throughout the hours of operation.
For those in the community who need to be fed but are opposed to handouts, One World has a volunteer program that for every hour of volunteering, people earn vouchers for meals at the kitchen.
Jolene Denny, a student at Spokane Falls Community College, said students on her campus don't know about One World. She had the idea to volunteer at the kitchen and then hand out the vouchers to the homeless or students who are struggling with finances.
"If we volunteer we can show other students this is something to help out the community," she said.
One World opened in October. The model is based on similar organizations, One World Everybody Eats in Salt Lake City, Utah and SAME (So All May Eat) Cafe in Denver. When One World Spokane launched, the chef from One World Everybody Eats came to Spokane to help pilot the new kitchen.
Plans include a community garden in the spring, volunteer Mandi Walters said. A graduate of University of Washington and area resident, Walters volunteers one day a week. Walters believes in the One World ideal because she said it is a community center.
"[I] assume people are intrinsically good and will provide back," she said. Walters said that One World is always looking for volunteers. "Anybody who wants to put in time, that's how it got started and that's how it moves forward."
For students interested in volunteering, a current Washington State Food Handler Permit is required.
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