The Power of Beauty

Explore these places filled with art, nourishment, culture and dignity

Refettorio GastromotivaFood for Soul

Renewed architectures for renewed communities

Designed to be welcoming and accessible to everyone, Refettorio Gastromotiva is clad in translucent polycarbonate panels so that the light shines through the walls illuminating the neighbourhood and sending a message of openness to the whole community.

Building the RefettorioFood for Soul

Refettorio Ambrosiano is located inside the spaces of an ex-theatre in the outskirts of Milan, which had been abandoned for many years.

The renovation was overseen by Caritas Ambrosiana and Davide Rampello following a project designed by the Polytechnic University of Milan, which has a major architecture school.

Refettorio MéridaFood for Soul

Refettorio Mérida is located in the city of Mérida, within the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.

It was developed inside a blue and white building called Casa Santa Luisa, a historic colonial house that once belonged to the Yucatecan philanthropist Pedro Canales, an advocate for social conscience, who gifted the house to the Voluntarias Vicentinas de Yucatán AC.

Refettorio Made in CloisterFood for Soul

Historically known as one of Naples’ main gateways, the neighbourhood of Porta Capuana has a long tradition of welcoming and restoring travellers coming from outside Naples.

Here, the Fondazione Made in Cloister acquired some of the spaces inside the ex-convent of S. Caterina a Formiello, a sixteenth-century church that had been turned into a wool mill by the Borbone family and later abandoned for 140 years.

Refettorio GhirlandinaFood for Soul

Refettorio Ghirlandina is located in an old chapel in the historic centre of Modena.

The space of the old chapel was renovated to host the dining area, while the walls have been painted with wonderful black and white frescos realised by two young local artists, Luca Zamoc and Luca Lattuga.

Refettorio ParisFood for Soul

Located in the crypt of the beautiful neo-classical La Madeleine church built in 1842 in the heart of Paris, Refettorio Paris offers a welcoming daily dinnertime service to people in situation of vulnerability and isolated members of the community.

Architect Nicola Delon, from Encore Heureux Architects, and designer Ramy Fischler, from RF Studio, worked to conceptualise the interior space of the crypt to its full potential.

Refettorio Felix at St Cuthbert'sFood for Soul

Before opening Refettorio Felix in London, Ilse Crawford's design studio Studioilse was brought on board to design the interiors for the space.

Studioilse generated a sense of intimacy with darker paintwork and low-hanging pendant lights that would make the vast ceilings appear lower.

Other lighting is kept soft to enhance this effect, while plants bring colour and a natural element to the space. The interior incorporates a reading corner, private counselling room and film screening area, while updates to the commercial kitchen ensure it can keep up with the volume of food production needed.

The Art of the Refettorio, Refettorio AmbrosianoFood for Soul

Five artists and 15 designers helped transform the space of the Refettorio Ambrosiano into an inspiring cultural place by donating artworks and furniture. Carlo Benvenuto, Enzo Cucchi, Maurizio Nannucci, Mimmo Paladino, Mario Bellini, Aldo Cibic, Pierluigi Cerri, Antonio Citterio, Terry Dawn, Michele de Lucchi, Giulio Iacchetti, Piero Lissoni, Alessandro Mendini, Fabio Novembre, Franco and Matteo Origoni, and Patricia Urquiola.

Refettorio Gastromotiva, dining roomFood for Soul

To fulfill the dream of building Refettorio Gastromotiva from scratch, Vik
Muniz, the art curator, had Gustavo Cedroni of METRO Architects develop the architecture. The Campana Brothers and Maneco Quinderé designed the scenography and furniture.

The material palette is of authentic, industrial materials that are commonly found in the area, resulting in an honest, no-frills aesthetic that celebrates the essential construction elements and services. Artworks by JR and Pas Schafer are also proudly displayed in the Refettorio.

Refettorio Mérida, yardFood for Soul

Passing under the iron gates of Refettorio Mérida, a long entrance corridor takes guests to the central part of the house, into an open-air internal garden. Inside traditional houses in Yucatán, gardens were the place where families used to grow plants that were part of their daily consumption.

Portraits by JRFood for Soul

Art as food for soul

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, Refettorio Paris had to close but decided to continue to serve the community by preparing and delivering meals to people in need throughout Paris. To celebrate the first 56,000 takeaway meals distributed by the Refettorio during the health emergency, and the team who worked on this amazing project, French artist JR (one of the artists who worked on the renovation of the space) pasted their portraits in front of the Church of La Madeleine, where Refettorio Paris is located. 

Artist Luca Zamoc painting, Refettorio Ghirlandina by Luca ZamocFood for Soul

The black and white frescoes painted by Luca Zamoc and Luca Lattuga on the walls of the Refettorio Ghirlandina are an example of that. They represent the legend of Saint Geminiano, saint patron of Modena.

Legend has it that in the third century, when the Huns were invading Modena, Saint Geminiano hid the town by shielding it with a dense blanket of fog and protecting them from the threat.

The frescoes are both a tribute to the history of Modena and a message of hope to guests and volunteers.

Violinist Renaud Capucon playingFood for Soul

Beauty - in this case expressed in the form of music - is a universal language which can take people out of their daily experience and help them form human connections based on empathy.

The guests at Refettorio Paris can often enjoy small concerts while enjoying their meal. Pictured violinist Renaud Capucon playing at the Refettorio.

Refettorio Made in Cloister, yardFood for Soul

During the day, the beautiful spaces of the cloister of Santa Caterina a Formiello are used by the Fondazione Made in Cloister as a cultural centre to host exhibitions and cultural events and to celebrate the artistic and cultural assets of the local community.

Speaking of beauty and its power to unveil hidden potential, another significant project promoted by the Fondazione Made in Cloister is the Bottega Made in Cloister, which combines the vision of international artists with the tradition and manual skills of local craft artisans to create unique design objects.

Clouds by JRFood for Soul

By adding floating clouds to the vault of the crypt of La Madeleine, French artist JR wanted to bring light, beauty and nature to the Refettorio Paris helping to create a positive environment where beauty and art are accessible to everyone.

Lamp by Margit WittigFood for Soul

Places like the Refettorio Felix help us to shine light (sometimes quite literally!) on the invisible potential of everything around us, whether it's people, places, food or everyday objects.

Pictured, a lamp made by reusing old spoons by Margit Wittig, sculptor and lamp maker based in London.

Lamp by StudioIlseFood for Soul

"It's each of the small details adding up to make a place feel special and cared for." said Ilse Crawford, designer and creative director at StudioIlse, who curated the interior of Refettorio Felix.

Porta dell'Accoglienza by Mimmo PaladinoFood for Soul

This monumental door, named Porta dell'Accoglienza, was created by artist Mimmo Paladino in 2015 and it stands at the entrance of the Refettorio Ambrosiano, welcoming guests as they come in.

This door is so much more than just the main access to the Refettorio, it's a commitment by the community to always welcome those who walk through it and a promise that nobody will ever feel left out or unwelcome.

Untitled by Bosco SodiFood for Soul

To celebrate Mexican culture and the equal right of all to beauty, Refettorio Mérida displays an artwork by artist Bosco Sodi.

Sodi is a Mexican contemporary artist known for his richly textured, vividly colored large-scale multimedia paintings and for his philanthropic efforts.

Water, Sap, Blood by Prune NourryFood for Soul

The artwork, created by French artist Prune Nourry and called “Water, Sap, Blood”, was realized for Refettorio Paris using recycled copper and it’s placed above the historic fountain in the crypt of the church of La Madeleine.

Like the clouds that decorate the ceiling and the printed bespoke carpet depicting the earth, “Water, Sap, Blood” is also a celebration of the natural world and of the intrinsic, and physical, connection that human beings have with the natural elements around them.

Plates designed by JR and Prune Nourry in collaboration with porcelain manufacturer BernardaudFood for Soul

At Refettorio Paris, dinner is served on beautifully crafted plates designed by French artists JR and Prune Nourry in collaboration with porcelain manufacturer Bernardaud.

“Prune and I live in New York where we initiated a community of artists that holds big dinners every month. Everybody cooks, everybody brings something. The dinner table is a nerve center where we share a taste for good things, the art of living well!” - explained JR.

Portraits of students by JRFood for Soul

One of the walls of Refettorio Gastromotiva in Rio de Janeiro is decorated with pictures taken by French artist JR specifically for this project.

The people portrayed are all students of the culinary courses organized by Refettorio Gastromotiva, a tribute to a new generation of chefs who are taught to utilize food as a tool towards social inclusion.

Details from "Porta dell'Accoglienza" by Mimmo PaladinoFood for Soul

The decorations on the Porta dell’Accoglienza by Mimmo Paladino are all symbols of things that can be shared, like bread, and are meant to inspire inclusion and togetherness welcoming anyone who sets food inside the Refettorio Ambrosiano.

Tiles from Refettorio MéridaFood for Soul

Mexican writer Alberto Ruy Sanchez Lacy once called Mexican tiles a “chosen skin”, referring to the way in which tiles embellish public and private spaces across Mexico.

Handcrafted ceramic tiles are a rooted cultural heritage in Mexico, since its practice dates back to the late 16th century.

When renovating the building where Refettorio Mérida is located, we made sure to keep the original tiled floors, a way to celebrate Maxican culture and heritage and to welcome guests in a space that had the same warmth and familiarity of a family home.

Pane metafisico by Carlo BenvenutoFood for Soul

“Il pane metafisico” , realized by Carlo Benvenuto and donated to the Refettorio Ambrosiano, is formed by the superimposition of two photographic shots imprinted in the same film.

The Last Supper by Vik MunizFood for Soul

Brazilian artist Vik Muniz drew Milan, The Last Supper with chocolate syrup as he looked at a reproduction of da Vinci’s Last Supper. Because chocolate is impermanent and hard to hang on a wall, he photographed the ephemeral chocolate drawing.

Displayed on one of the walls of Refettorio Gastromotiva, it’s a tribute to the Refettorio Ambrosiano in Milan, and to one of the most produced and consumed products in Brazil.

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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