Just a short walk from Primrose Hill, nestled among the pastel-colored boutiques and cafés of Regent’s Park Road, stands 130 Primrose. This new London dining destination has chosen to define hospitality through a vision that is as noble as it is practical: offering a path out of marginalization to homeless people, refugees, and former prisoners, transforming them into culinary professionals.
At the helm of the kitchen is a familiar face in British culinary circles: Monica Galetti, formerly a mainstay at the two-Michelin-starred Le Gavroche and a judge on *MasterChef: The Professionals*. The restaurant, run as a charity, offers trainees six-month contracts, training, and a support program backed by partner organizations such as Crisis and The Big Issue.
From its debut to the new model
The project is no stranger to this challenge. Launched in 2024 as Home Kitchen Diner under the guidance of Michelin-starred chef Adam Simmons, the restaurant experienced a challenging yet successful initial phase, with an average of 4.7 stars on Google and five former participants who have already found stable employment. "At first we had an identity problem; people would walk in thinking we sold kitchens,“ co-founder Michael Brown tells The Big Issue. ”Also, out of sixteen placements, we only had two professionals. As the workload increased, management became complex." Today, in a challenging market due to the rising cost of living, the restaurant is rebranding as 130 Primrose to stabilize its model and refine its offerings.
A democratic and multicultural cuisine
Monica Galetti’s menu moves away from the formalities of haute cuisine to embrace a neighborhood vibe accessible to everyone, where British classics meet Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences. “Haute cuisine can limit the clientele, and that’s not what we want. We welcome anyone who walks through the door,” explains the chef.
The true strength of the menu lies in the diversity of the kitchen staff:
- Cultural exchange: “The more cultures there are in the kitchen, the more stimulating the experience is,” explains Galetti, who is originally from Samoa.
- Empowerment: Staff are encouraged to suggest traditional recipes from their own cultures to be included on the menu.
- Tangible Results: Stories like that of Ade, a Nigerian-born assistant chef who, thanks to her salary, found a place to live and regained custody of her children, demonstrate the project’s real impact.
The True Face of Hospitality
In an era when the media portrays the culinary world through the lens of stress and exaggerated performance—as in the series *The Bear* or *Boiling Point*—Monica Galetti’s perspective restores a human dimension to the industry. The chef, who prefers not to watch these TV dramas, focuses on the value of community and mentorship, paying forward the help she received early in her career from mentors like Michel Roux Jr. For 130 Primrose, the restaurant business remains first and foremost an exercise in empathy: a practical tool for reshaping people’s futures, one dish at a time. “Hospitality is so much more than what everyone talks about. It’s camaraderie. It’s teamwork. It’s building a team together. It’s the passion for making people happy. This is the true meaning of hospitality, both for those working in the dining room and those working in the kitchen. We cook because we want people to appreciate what we do.”
