The Winter 2023 issue of Food & Dining Magazine is now available in all the familiar places: Louisville area eateries and food shops, newsstands and online. Click here to check it out.
From time to time F&D checks in with The LEE Initiative, which stands for “Let’s Empower Employment,” and pursues a mission of bringing more equity and diversity to the restaurant industry. The organization’s holiday season news release provides an overview of its activities in 2023.
Rapid Response, Lasting Impact
Because of your support, The LEE Initiative was able to swiftly respond to unforeseen challenges faced by small businesses, ensuring they not only weather the storm but emerge stronger than ever. After a local Louisville favorite, Tino’s Taste of Heaven, shared that they were losing income due to disruptive construction, we provided a $10,000 grant to ensure it could keep its doors open. And, just a few weeks ago, when we saw that a devastating fire damaged the iconic Horn Barbecue in Oakland, CA, we sent a $25,000 grant within the week to help them rebuild and recover. Read more on our Instagram.
Co-founder Edward Lee offers his thoughts as the year concludes.
All of us at The LEE Initiative have been proud of the continued work we accomplished in 2023. Our restaurant grants sponsored by Heinz have helped 64 Black-owned restaurants with $1 million donated this year alone. This is the kind of work that we know makes a meaningful difference in the lives of hard working Americans, but also in the legacy of American cuisine. Our fifth class of the Women Culinary and Spirits Program recently wrapped with a Capstone Dinner at the James Beard Foundation’s Platform in New York City. To see the smiles and confidence on the faces of our young mentee chefs is so much a part of why we are doing this work. It matters, and it is making a difference.
Like so many others in America, 2023 was a year to get back to work in a time of uncertainty and unpredictability. The restaurant industry is no different. While the current economic climate has seen the return of some normal patterns, the independent restaurant industry is still facing persistent challenges from the last few years. At The LEE Initiative, we are taking this time to listen, understand, and learn what these issues are so we can offer better solutions in the year ahead. We believe that there is a need for more focused work on how we see the future of hospitality, of sustainability, and of economic models for the next generations of restaurants.
We are launching a new project in 2024 that hopes to delve into these issues and offer real world solutions. We don’t have all the details to share quite yet but please know that we are working tirelessly to make sure that The LEE Initiative is doing the work that we know is necessary for the future of this industry. Please keep following and supporting us. We know how much independent restaurants and chefs mean to you and we want to continue our work to embrace this community.
With 2024 right around the corner, now’s the time to show support for The LEE Initiative’s mission and programs.
To pave the way for the continued growth and evolution of these initiatives in 2024, we invite and deeply appreciate your generous contributions. The LEE Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Federal ID #82-3884798. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Reference IRS Publication 526.
