Michael and Kwini Reed are the powerhouse couple behind the Californian restaurants Poppy and Rose in downtown Los Angeles and Poppy and Seed in Anaheim. Michael and Kwini also own a catering business called Root of All Food. They are heavily involved in supporting No Kid Hungry’s fundraising events including LA’s Taste of the Nation and LA’s No Kid Hungry Dinner.
What is the ethos behind your restaurants?
Kwini - We look at our restaurants and the people that we lead within a people-first type of environment. We try to treat people, especially our team members and our customers, as human beings first. We actively make sure that we are cultivating a healthier work environment for everyone, ourselves included.
It's also important to us to make sure that we're highly involved within the community. We believe, “to whom much is given, much is required” - and so especially when we are handling something as precious as food and being able to feed people, we have to make sure that nothing goes to waste. At Poppy and Rose every night, right when we're closing, our unhoused neighbors line up at the door and we hand out whatever we have leftover so it doesn't go to waste.
We're actively engaged with No Kid Hungry. Anytime you guys call us, we're gonna be there. We just really think that it's important. People can be whole well-rounded human beings by having a good meal and that applies to someone being unhoused or someone coming to celebrate and have a good time. That’s the ethos that we try to cultivate as far as our - as the kids would say - our vibe.
How about your food philosophy for Poppy and Seed and Poppy and Rose?
Michael - As far as our food philosophy for the restaurants, you know, downtown Los Angeles for Poppy and Rose, it's one of the best brunch spots for Los Angeles, where we do brunch seven days a week from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
For Poppy and Seed in Anaheim, it's much more of a playground for me as a chef, where I get to curate a chef-tasting menu. We change the menu quite a lot because it is hyper-local, or I just get bored of producing the same food over and over. Once I can't get the seasonal product or I'm just tired of making it, I'll come up with something that's new and creative that's in-season. It's usually something familiar with a twist on a higher-end, elevated level.
Kwini - And…we have a killer playlist at both restaurants!
What drew you to support No Kid Hungry and how did you first get connected to us?
Kwini - We first connected long ago. I think the first interaction was when we were asked to be a part of Los Angeles’ Taste of the Nation. Once that happened, then we started to understand more about what Share Our Strength, the organization behind No Kid Hungry, is about.
You know, children didn't ask to be here. They're here because two people decided to have kids. If that's the case, it doesn't make any sense to us that children should be hungry. We like to take it even further; we want to start with the child, but we also want to make sure the parents are fed, because you can't parent really well if you're hungry. There is this thing called “hangry.”
We have to keep on moving that needle, because no one should go without food. It’s just insane to me, especially in a country that is so rich.
And then we love everyone from No Kid Hungry - they are always a pleasure to work with. For us, it's just a no-brainer; if we go and we do something with an organization and we feel good on the inside and we connect with the employees that work for that nonprofit, then, you know, we're sold.
Why you think it's important that folks in the food and hospitality industry try and become involved with No Kid Hungry
Kwini - First of all, the events are amazing! And if you have kids, Los Angeles’ Taste of the Nation is the festival that you can actually take your kids to with you, which is great for us. That's like a no brainer, but also, if you are in the food industry, you should constantly and actively be trying to figure out how to fix this problem of hunger. That should be all of our main goals. Again, we should always start with children.
Everybody knows that these children are going to be the ones taking care of us when we get older, and we need to make sure that they have enough brain power, they are healthy, and that's what food does. Everyone should participate in any way that they can, whether it's doing a fundraiser on your Instagram or hosting a private dinner at your restaurant to raise money. All of those dollars help - it is really investing in our future.
What's a food or dish that you're really enjoying right now?
Michael - Oh, it's winter time, so you know, I just love fresh pasta, especially our fresh pasta. It's somewhat traditional, but there's always a twist to it. I'd say our garganelli with browned guanciale and prosciutto in it with sweet and spicy peppers; it's just that combination of pork and sweet and goodness. With those pickled peppers and tomato sauce, it’s something I could eat every day. It's my favorite dish right now.
Kwini - I’m going to have to second the fresh pasta! On the current menu, I look forward to our butternut squash ravioli every single year, so I'm really jiving with that. That's really kind of what I eat throughout the week right now.
Stay tuned for more stories of chefs and how they are helping end childhood hunger.
