RED BANK — The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation and its JBJ Soul Kitchen community restaurant program have been named recipients of a 2026 James Beard Foundation Impact Award, an honor recognizing efforts to build a more fair, sustainable and economically strong food system.
The foundation was among the national honorees recognized during the James Beard Awards events held June 14 and 15 in Chicago.
Dorothea and Jon Bon Jovi said they were grateful for the recognition and praised others working throughout the culinary field.
“We are honored and humbled to be recognized by the James Beard Foundation with this Impact Award,” they said. “We salute all our fellow recipients as well as all of those who work in the culinary industry. We are grateful for this recognition, but the true reward is the work.”
The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation opened JBJ Soul Kitchen in 2011 with a mission to provide healthy meals in a setting built around dignity, connection and community.
The idea began with Dorothea Bongiovi’s effort to address food insecurity without stigma. It has since expanded into a network of community restaurants in New Jersey where guests may either make a donation to “pay it forward” or volunteer in exchange for a meal.
Since opening, JBJ Soul Kitchen has served more than 234,000 meals. According to the foundation, 58% of those meals were earned through volunteer work.
The program also helps connect guests with services beyond food, including job assistance, housing support, mental health resources and community outreach programs.
The James Beard Foundation Impact Awards honor people and organizations working to create meaningful change in the food system and in communities nationwide.
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