WORK • Thursday Routine
ELLEN BOWEN • South Florida site director • Food Rescue US
Neighborhood you live in: Miami Beach
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
In 2018, I started the South Florida chapter of Food Rescue US. I was involved in all sorts of large food events as the founder of the popular food blog, MIABites, and hated seeing how much food went to waste at the end of the night. Since then we’ve rescued over 15.2 million pounds of food that would have been thrown away and instead delivered it to homeless shelters all over South Florida. We have over 200 donor partners and almost 2k volunteers.
So on Thursday mornings — like every day of the week — I’ll head out with volunteers to local food donors like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Milam’s to pick up surplus edible food that would've been disposed of, like fresh produce, eggs, salads, meat, bread and bakery items. From there, we make drop offs at local hunger relief organizations and food banks. We may make a stop at local restaurants, hotels, and even stadiums. Over the years, we’ve done rescues after massive events like South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Art Basel, and the Super Bowl. It’s really rewarding to hear how the chefs at these organizations use the food from these events to transform them into epic meals for those they’re feeding.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Today is a big rescue day at the new Whole Foods Midtown/Edgewater. We’re loading up three to four carloads every day, and delivering to multiple shelters and pantries in underserved areas. We’re always open to more volunteers, if anyone is looking to give back!
Any bar or restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
A favorite for me is either Macchialina or Abbale Telavivian on South Beach. I live on Mid-Beach, so it’s an easy jaunt over and never fails to impress. The food and ambiance are always solid and we love taking friends who come to visit from up north. I love that you can dress up for a full night out or show up fairly casually for a great bite to eat at both.
How about a little leisure or culture?
As snowbirds who go back and forth between Connecticut and Miami, my husband and I spent most of our careers in New York City, so we love a show or live music. Take me to the Miami Beach Bandshell in North Beach anytime for music. There’s always something different happening there — while they aren’t the biggest names, it’s always a good time. Typically I’ll pop into Taquiza, Sushi Bichi, or Sazon for dinner first to make a full evening out of it. I also support Miami City Ballet and O Cinema, so I make sure to attend their events as often as possible.
Any weekend getaways?
New York City can be a quick trip — under three hours, and with Miami traffic these days, it seems like it’s a shorter trip than trying to drive to Palm Beach or the Keys. I just saw Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway. The show and music were truly wonderful, and featured Tony Award-winning choreography by former Miami City Ballet alums Justin Peck and his wife Patricia Delgado.
What was your last great vacation?
I was just in Los Angeles and stayed off Rodeo Drive in a funky boutique hotel called The Crescent Hotel. I spent my time popping into cafes, shopping, and we had an amazing dinner at Funke. I also made sure to go to the Beverly Hills Garden to see The Great Elephant Migration. It was in Miami Beach outside Faena during Art Basel, and this was the final stop on its 5,000 mile journey.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
Funny enough, I actually bought a baby elephant from the Great Elephant Migration. I loved the exhibit during Art Basel and visited it often as I live just a few blocks away. It was lovely to check out on my walks each day.