Refettorio Detroit: Capuchin Soup Kitchen's $2.4 million makeover
DETROIT. The Capuchin Soup Kitchen is opening Refettorio Detroit at the Meldrum Community Center, a $2.4 million renovation of 8,000 square feet, with doors set for early 2027. The project partners with Food for Soul, the international nonprofit founded by chef Massimo Bottura, making this the third U.S. Refettorio after Harlem and San Francisco.
Refettorio trades cafeteria style serving for full hospitality, turning surplus ingredients into free meals. "We will still be the Capuchin Soup Kitchen," said Br. Gary Wegner, the organization's executive director. "Food for Soul is helping us do it with more intentionality." The kitchen will keep sourcing from Earthworks Urban Farm, with guest chefs from Detroit's restaurant scene expected to rotate through.
Ground broke this spring. The doors open in 2027.
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