Albedo Kitchen : restaurant végétal, biologique et durable

Albedo Kitchen is conceived as a refuge for ethical flavours. Much more than a simple vegan café-restaurant and caterer, it is a true culinary sanctuary, where each dish tells a story of respect for nature, living beings and cultural narrative. Albedo Kitchen's identity is forged around strong values ​​such as in-house preparation,100% organic farming, support for local agriculture by favouring small-scale producers, living and de-industrialised foods, "healing diets"*, and a zero waste commitment.

At Albedo Kitchen, each plate is an ode to creativity and ecological awareness. The menu, entirely plant-based, evolves with the seasons and the inspirations of the moment to offer you an authentic and beneficial taste experience.

We have designed this restaurant under a virtuous economic and societal model that pertains to the following criteria:

·       Positively impacts the consumer by eating healthier, more delicious and flavoursome dishes
·       Supports the local producers with whom we work
·       Protects the animals that are spared from our plates;
·    Utilises land that is not intensively exploited thanks to organic farming which takes into account environmental issues and biodiversity;
·       Reduced carbon footprint;
·       Reduced water consumption;
·       Creates community and employement.

Helping us means helping to develop new consumption models that are transparent and inclusive. It is a political gesture, because consuming is voting. 

Although prejudices about vegan food persist, it is also important to highlight that eating plant-based is inclusive, whatever our beliefs, allergies or origins, there will always be a recipe for the individual concerned. Eating plant-based is therefore, beyond the issues of animal welfare, public health, social diversity and the environment, an invitation toward conviviality.

Albedo Kitchen #1 opened its doors in November 2023 at an innovative establishment that was setting up its first "food corner" among a collection of multidisciplinary entrepreneurs at a location in the heart of the popular Hommelet district in Roubaix. 

Although this first opening allowed us to present our cuisine to our newly acquainted customers, we faced numerous limitations. The premises and the geographical location proved to be very unsuitable. This is why, in order to get closer to our customers and to improve our accessibility, we have chosen to move to the centre of Lille. 

Lewis grew up in London in a vegetarian family. The English capital is home to many communities from the British Isles and elsewhere across the globe, which was a real boon for the vegetarian community in the 1980's/90's, as many of these cultures brought with them a traditional cuisine with vegetarian principles at their core. Discovering Indian, Caribbean and Japanese cuisines in particular, broadened the possibilities for a family on a low income to create nutritious and inspiring food. He more recently followed a "Healing Diets" course in England following a long time passion about plants, spices and other medicinal herbs, with the intention of learning how to cure and prevent lifestyle diseases. A multi-instrumentalist since birth, he has toured as a drummer in several international groups as well as produced and composed music for solo groups and film projects. Also a cinematographer who is passionate about images, he never leaves the house without his super 8mm or super 16mm camera at hand to capture the inexhaustible peculiarities of people and the environment.

Diane grew up in Lille, France, and graduated with a Master's degree in Marketing, Communication, Culture, a Bachelor's degree in production management and a Bachelor's degree in web development. She is also a musician and video artist, and production and communication manager in dance and live performance organisations. In 2022, she trained as a naturopath to refine her knowledge in this field. All these experiences allow her to live as much as possible in accordance with her values. She grew up in a Franco-Flemish and North African family. From an early age, she was immersed in the Kabyle culture, where cooking often rhymes with conviviality. 

From a wealth of experience in art, community, culture and communication, the vegan restaurant project was forged from the same fire. We both share an eagerness to push boundaries and to explore ways of bringing people together and expanding horizons, and these convictions pushed us to share our love of nature, the environment and cooking. Our vision? To offer a healthy and gourmet culinary alternative from a "nutritarian**" and deindustrialized approach, in line with the ecological challenges of our time; and to share these principles with our customers. 

 Compassion: We believe that all sentient beings should be respected and treated fairly, whether they are our fellow citizens or the non-human animals that make up our ecosystem at large. As such, our restaurant encourages practices that avoid the exploitation of other beings and welcomes people in all flavours with openness and respect.

Sustainability: All our suppliers are committed to ethical and sustainable exchanges directly with their producers. It is important to us that the food systems that support us are in turn supported by our uncompromising commitments to reducing our impact on the environment. When we discover better ways to reduce our impact on the environment, we immediately apply them to our food preparation methods and recipes.

Vitality: Our cuisine provides food that allows us to live to our fullest potential; creating dishes that increase our energy, strengthen our immunity and eliminate toxins from our tissues. We believe that true joy comes from eating foods that protect the human body, sourced only from whole plant foods that undergo as little alteration or refinement as possible.

We departed our Roubaix premises in December 2024 and have been working since on opening our new restaurant in the city centre of Lille. This new Albedo Kitchen #2 project is much more than a restaurant. We intend to create a safe space for community exchange and socio-political discussion.  It will also be a café-restaurant hosting regular events: concerts with a carefully curated line-up of local, national and international artists, DJ sets, readings, poetry and lectures. In time we would also like to use the space for plant-based cooking classes and workshops, and conferences on the themes of animal protection, anti-speciesism, environmental protection and inclusiveness. 

We are very excited to have our own walls, to build a project that sticks to our ethics from A to Z and to bring to it our energy and passion.

** Nutritarian: a diet that meets nutritional needs by favouring plant-based, natural and minimally processed foods.
 

What will the collection be used for?

This collection of €6,500 will be used to finance the opening of the new restaurant. 

In detail, this means: the initial costs related to the purchase of the business to be paid, as well as costs for decoration and renovation work on the premises. 

But also cash to organise a communication campaign for the launch and opening night.

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Every participation is very very important to us, and we will be infinitely grateful for the help and support given. 

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PS: contributions by check are possible at the following address: SAS Albedo Kitchen, 19 rue de la communauté urbaine, boîte 314, 59100 Roubaix.

Diane & Lewis