Stories from Karma Kitchen

A beautiful story on NBC, about Karma Kitchen DC today! Go Krishna! Some excerpts below ...



Krishna Desar explained that the program aims to move people from transaction to trust, scarcity to abundance, and isolation to community.

To encourage the transition toward building a community, guests are given the option to either sit at a larger community table where they can interact with others or take a seat at one of the personal tables.

“We’re so hungry to connect to each other,” 50-year-old Kristin Pedemonti, a volunteer coordinator at Karma Kitchen D.C., said. “In a place like D.C. where there’s often so much power-hungry energy — this is just the opposite of that.”

For Jess Anderson, 23, and Leo Guillemin, 27, who often go to the Himalayan Heritage restaurant, it was both surprising and exciting to be welcomed by Karma Kitchen volunteers on a cold Sunday afternoon last month that NBC News attended. They decided to try the meal and called it a “great concept.”

“It’s so good to know we’re able to have this meal because someone was generous,” said Guillemin. “I feel more camaraderie today than usual.”

Anderson agreed, and added that it made her think about the little acts of kindness she could do in her everyday life. “It does make me think, I go to coffee shops all the time and I can buy someone coffee there,” she said. “Now as we’re getting into winter time, you need to do something nice to keep yourself warm inside.” [...]

“No matter what’s going on in the world at the time, Karma Kitchen seems to be a constant in terms of the values it tries to bring out,” said Vinay Sanapala, who has been volunteering at Karma Kitchen D.C. since it started in 2009. Sanapala added that every time he goes back, “it feels like it’s a wonderful reset for me.” [...]



“People here feel very isolated,” Desar said, adding that everyone is looking for what they don’t have. “This is a space where people can stop and think about small things that can make us happy.”  

Amazing launch in Krakow Poland -- read the full story here! Excerpts below ...

At 11AM, we opened the doors. Few tables immediately joined, and given that the restaurant was situated in one of the hippest areas of Krakow, we were ready for the steady stream of people through the day. Connie, Jasky, Robert, among others, were our superstar servers. The restaurant had three seating areas, including the popular outdoor tables. "Sunday in Krakow with this weather is unbelievable! You guys brought the good weather with you," Ela said with a big smile.

At one table of three, a young woman told us, "Actually, I'm going through a really difficult time, financially. But today is the most I've ever paid for a meal. I've been so moved by all of you. I came here for a quick bite, but two hours later, I can't leave. We have to start Karma Kitchen in Lublin!"

Everyone looked up to Sheetal, Audrey and Khushmita -- and they delivered in spades. In their vintage do-nothing ways, things just happened around them.

Arthur's two super-cute daughters insisted on volunteering (they even joined the Awakin Circle previously!), so Khush enrolled them as smile-pin taggers. And boy, did they melt hearts! Even folks who didn't end up coming into the restaurant would receive smile pins from these smiley kids -- and within 20 seconds, they would be hugging each other and taking photos together.



On one of the tables, a guest remarked, "In Poland, it's the norm to frown and complain. But it seems to be opposite here. Everyone is smiling and happy!" After their meals, everyone wrote something they were grateful for. And we saw notes like this one: "I was at Karma Kitchen. A lady named Khush told me I had a wonderful smile. I had not smiled much lately."



So many tables were brimming with gratitude. One note on the gratitude wall read, "I am grateful for a beautiful meal in a beautiful restaurant in a beautiful city with the most beautiful girl I've ever met." Some felt it was referring to one of the servers, but it's still being debated. :) One table featured a Polish gentleman who spoke fluent Hindi, so we called out our Indian chef so they could converse and connect locally.

In Valencia, California, a new Karma Kitchen launched!   Read the recap here.

And on the other side of the world, in Hyderabad, India, volunteers piloted another KK as well.

Dear Karma Kitchen Friends,

Thank you for all your continued support of Karma Kitchen.  We're just sending along a few updates ...

A volunteer group from Taiwan, Tzu Chi, put together a beautiful video piece that is bound to make you smile: Paying it Forward

Karma Kitchen has now run in 22 locations around the globe, and mushroomed into many related experiments. In November, KK piloted in the UK and is set to repeat in London this month. Similarly, the second KK is about to happen in Dubai. In India, it continues to ripple into quite a few experiments. Detroit had powerful moments in their debut last year, and just a few weeks back, after a launch in Guernsey, a kindness movement is gripping the entire island.

Renowned researchers are also taking note. We've always been speaking about the subtle but significant difference between pay-what-you-want and pay-forward, and here are some slides that summarize the scientific studies behind it. Many have asked about best practices in embodying these "gift ecology" principles, and that has led to a launch of a popular Laddership Circles program.

It's a great joy to be part of this movement together, to collectively practice "growing in generosity".

In service,

Karma Kitchen Anchors

Whether plating food, washing dishes, taking orders or simply offering a listening ear and presence -- it was incredible to witness the micro-moments of love that endlessly transpired as our rockstar crew smilingly served 67 guests from all walks of life-- vibrant artists and transformative lawyers, international students, down-to-earth teachers, inspired businessfolk, and beyond.

In each moment, small acts of care enveloped us from all sides. One guest walked in with offerings of a handpicked bouquet, chocolates, and handmade stones. Two members of the community baked offerings of raspberry tart and chocolate chip cookies to add to our dessert menu -- simply to give in some way.

Our mostly first-time crew of volunteers stepped up the generosity in subtle and profound ways. With Xiao gently tagging folks with heart pins at every turn, Raku's depth of presence in conversing with each table, Ron's steady can-do spirit, Saina's swift setting of each table and filling in of any gap, Zilong's mastermind interfacing and delightful moon cake, Brenda's artistry both on paper and in each plate arranged with a glowing heart, Nina skyrocketing through the plating learning curve and thoughtfully making sure everyone ate, Ivina's mastery of "all the D's" - drinks, desserts, dal, and beyond :), Anna's superhuman dish-washing resilience, and Vishesh's kitchen guidance coupled with way of making dishes and people shine -- as one of us shared in the closing reflections, it was as if we were all atoms supporting the whole and filling in wherever necessary!

Then, on top of the usual Karma Kitchen emergence, it was doubly grand to witness the depth of our ServiceSpace Community Table conversations, as well as to learn about some dynamic pay-it-forward research! And even after our closing circle, everyone's collective energy made for an effortless clean-up that left the restaurant sparkling!