Spotlight | Queer Food Foundation

May is LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Throughout the month, Broadway Stages will feature and celebrate exceptional people, businesses, and organizations of the LGBTQ+ communities. We invite you to join us in recognizing their accomplishments and contributions! Today, we share with you the story of the Queer Food Foundation.

The Pandemic of 2020 was an impetus for change in many aspects of our society. One industry hit the hardest was food service. To aid their peers, a group of motivated culinary workers formed the Queer Food Foundation (QFF) in 2020. The QFF is a collective of queer individuals who work throughout the food system.

However, a need to expand its mission became apparent not long after its founding. As people within the network shared, the members discussed the challenges they face within the industry and their lack of representation to address those needs. For instance, according to the non-profit One Fair Wage, about 20 percent of workers in the culinary industry are from the LGBTQ+ community, and well over three-quarters of workers surveyed have witnessed or experienced transphobia or homophobia while working in the industry, either from customers or coworkers.

With this, the QFF has grown to become a place for skill sharing and community building, for queer expression in food, and to advocate for more inclusive food industry spaces. A new generation of queer restaurants and chefs are mobilizing to create change — and the QFF is leading the way. The foundation is a nationwide resource for LGBTQ+ food workers, from front-of-house workers all the way to farmers. In addition to advocating for more inclusive spaces in the industry, QFF creates mutual aid networks and funds queer food ventures. 

Along with the Queer Food Fund, two key programs QFF has are the QFF Directory and the Queer All Year Program. The QFF Directory is a virtual space where members can network. Does your restaurant need a sommelier? Check the QFF Directory. Need help creating a new menu? Check the directory. The directory is still new but it already boasts robust numbers!

The Queer All Year Program is about showcasing people and organizations who you should support. The idea is to establish long-term partnerships rather than friendships that last through Pride and LGBTQ+ History Month. Currently, the list includes Bento Box, the James Beard Foundation, Resy, and more.

QFF's good work depends on support for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. If you are interested, you can pledge your financial support here. Also, you can find information about its local events and programs by following it online on both Instagram and Facebook.

When asked what queer hospitality meant to her, Executive Director and Co-Founder Vannesa Parish said, "It means existing in spaces where everyone can be harmoniously themselves and can be celebrated for their individuality. We group ourselves off a lot — we have to for survival, especially in hospitality. We want to eliminate fears like "Can I apply to this place? Will I make enough money to live?"

Broadway Stages looks forward to a day when no one fears whether they can apply for work or earn a living wage. But we know that with hard-working, forward-thinking groups like Queer Food Foundation, this will someday be a thing of the past.