Curate, a Spanish tapas restaurant and one of the best-known eateries in Asheville, North Carolina, sat empty for two days after Hurricane Helene last September. Then co-owner Katie Button reopened it alongside World Central Kitchen to provide meals for many community members who were without electricity and running water. To do so, Curate installed a tank and brought in clean water at the cost of $1,000 a day, racking up $30,000 in water, tank rental and delivery fees.
At home, his kitchen is as functional and ergonomic as those professional spaces, with a bit more room for fun. He's got a wall oven placed to match his stature (he's six foot five, after all), an extra-large fridge to fit both groceries and samples from work, and the internet's latest gadget obsession (the Ninja Creami). And he isn't afraid to play around with it. It's a space tailored for creativity and for indulging in the more delicious side of bringing work home.
The restaurant and hospitality industry loses over $100 billion a year in food waste. And ReFED's 2025 report on food waste in the US found that in 2023, businesses were left with surplus food equivalent to $108 billion in revenue. Of course, the issue isn't just costing companies money - it also hurts the environment, making up 8% of the world's carbon emissions.