Pope Francis inspires Michelin 3-star chef to do this AMAZING thing for Rio's homeless

'Who would've thought food made for the cream of society would be served to a group of homeless men?'

Olympians burn thousands of calories during practice each day, leaving them ravenous. Over 250 tons of ingredients feed the Olympians per meal but what happens to the leftovers?

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to The New York Times, Italian chef Massimo Bottura, who owns a three-star Michelin restaurant, noticed the amount of leftover food didn't have to go to waste.

He traveled to downtown Rio with volunteers and some of the world's top chefs to improvise dinner for 70 of Rio's homeless.

The food, which would otherwise have been trashed, were donated to the pop-up restaurant called Refettorio Gastromotiva, Italian for "Dining Hall."

Bottura, known for his quick moves around a kitchen, explained: "This is not just a charity; it's not just about feeding people. This is about social inclusion, teaching people about food waste and giving hope to people who have lost all hope."

Thursday night, Rio's homeless enjoyed a meal of Italian-style couscous with sautéed beef and panzanella, and a Tuscan bread-and-tomato dish.

Fifty chefs volunteered to help, with Alex Atala, who runs one of Brazil's top-rated restaurants, explaining: "We are a generation of young chefs who are not competing with each other, but who want to share."

Fagner Dos Santos, a 33-year-old homeless man struggling with drug addiction on Rio's streets, told the Catholic Herald: "Who would've thought food made for the cream of society would be served to a group of homeless men?"

Chef Bottura shared the inspiration to help was inspired by Pope Francis' constant advocacy for the poor.

Last year, chef Bottura organized a similar project in an abandoned theater during the Milan world's fair and he believes these feeding events can help spread awareness and bring about change to help the world's 800 million hungry population.

Volunteer celebrity chef Rafael Costa e Silva prepared Sunday's meal and told the hungry crowd: "What you've enjoyed is a simple meal but one made with lots of love and care. We wanted you to feel spoiled - for at least one night."

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online