THe Mission

DC Central Kitchen’s mission is to use food as a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds, and build communities.

our model

DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. The organization provides hands-on culinary job training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed. DCCK’s social ventures include serving scratch-cooked farm-to-school meals in DC schools, delivering fresh, affordable produce to corner stores in neighborhoods without supermarkets, and operating fast-casual cafes throughout the District of Columbia.

Watch below to see how we fight hunger differently. 

FOOD FIGHT

The DC dining scene has changed a lot over the past two decades, but one event has been there through it all: DC Central Kitchen’s annual Capital Food Fight. First hosted in 2004 by DC Central Kitchen’s long-time volunteer and Board Chair Emeritus José Andrés, the organization’s “Baddest Night of Doing Good” has long been the must-attend event of food lovers, TV stars, and philanthropists alike, as well as a proving ground for some of DC’s rising culinary stars all while raising more than $12 million in support of DC Central Kitchen’s fight against hunger and poverty in our nation’s capital. 
 
Take a tour through The Food Fight over the years with us via this timeline!