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The London-based restaurant that employs individuals who have experienced homelessness has undergone a transformation and is now operating under the name 130 Primrose. This rebranding comes with notable developments, including the appointment of Monica Galetti, well-known chef, broadcaster, and MasterChef judge, who has joined as the executive chef and trustee of the organisation.
Previously known as Home Kitchen, this Primrose Hill restaurant initially made waves by blending fine dining with a social mission. The restaurant served sophisticated dishes such as scallop ceviche, guinea fowl, and monkfish, in a setting that once housed the established Odette’s. Beyond its culinary offerings, the restaurant focused on creating employment pathways for people affected by homelessness, providing training and paid work as a foundation for lasting careers in hospitality. Now, with its relaunch as 130 Primrose on Regent’s Park Road, it continues to offer these opportunities while operating as a registered charity.
130 Primrose, which can seat 50 guests and operates seven days a week from morning till night, offers a Mediterranean-inspired à la carte menu with plans to introduce elements of Galetti’s Samoan background in future dishes. The restaurant’s ambiance is relaxed and brasserie-style, with street-side seating available. In addition to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the venue will feature sandwiches and salads during lunch hours, along with charcuterie and cheese options in the evening. A speakeasy-style cocktail bar is also slated to open soon on the lower ground floor. Monica Galetti co-leads the culinary vision and training programme, while head chef Eric Zhang manages the kitchen operations full-time.
Since its first launch in 2024, the restaurant has worked closely with various organisations such as Crisis, Beam, The Big Issue, Soup Kitchen London, Only A Pavement Away, and the Beyond Food Foundation to recruit individuals facing complex challenges like homelessness, addiction recovery, and refugee status. Each employee is hired on a six-month contract within kitchen or front-of-house roles, receiving accredited qualifications such as food hygiene and allergen awareness. Graduates of the programme are then supported into further roles within the hospitality sector. Reflecting on these achievements, co-founder and trustee Michael Brown stated, “Too often, people facing homelessness are excluded from work and written off by society – seen only for their circumstances, not their potential.” Brown emphasised the restaurant’s ongoing goal to scale up and expand its impact by providing more opportunities to those in need while addressing labour shortages in hospitality.
The name 130 Primrose symbolizes renewal and fresh beginnings, a nod both to
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