Join us in supporting meal relief in Detroit! Your donations will go directly to the Saffron Community Kitchen initiative founded by Chef Omar Anani at the award-winning restaurant Saffron De Twah.

About Chef Omar and SCK

Chef Omar Anani is a Palestinian-Egyptian American restaurateur. He is the chef-owner of the James Beard-nominated Saffron De Twah, an award-winning modern Moroccan bistro on the eastside of Detroit. His food truck, The Twisted Mitten, was the first halal food truck in Michigan and has been recognized as one of the best food trucks in the country by USA Today and the Food Network. He is a two-time James Beard Awards finalist for Best Chef - Great Lakes and a member of the Chef Corps through World Central Kitchen, supporting meal relief in the Dominican Republic, Ukraine, and Turkiye/Syria in the last several months.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chef Omar Anani launched the Saffron Community Kitchen initiative to provide meal relief to Detroiters in need. For his efforts, he was recognized by Hour Detroit magazine as one of ten "Hour Detroiters" who are enriching life across the region and was featured by the Detroit Free Press as a "Food Fighter." Since 2020, Saffron Community Kitchen has provided over 110,000 for Detroiters in need. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, SCK was providing 600 meals a day at the restaurant on Gratiot Avenue and through the Twisted Mitten food truck at a local Detroit park.

How It Works

Saffron De Twah re-opened to the public in 2022 with changes to its business model, including eliminating tipped wages and providing a minimum wage of $15/hour for all team members. The need for meals in the immediate neighborhood and beyond is still there. Saffron Community Kitchen has continued to provide free meals through meal drop offs, walk-in requests, and community partnerships. This is partially funded by the “buy a meal, give a meal” program that Saffron De Twah guests can donate to when placing an order, where $15 provides one meal for a neighbor in need. Otherwise, when funds are not available, the meals are provided at no charge by drawing on the restaurant's reserves. Guests who would like to request a free meal can come to the restaurant during business hours and/or when team members are available to request a meal. The restaurant makes a fresh meal on request and provides it at no charge.

Support What's Next

Join us in funding two key programs this summer: 

1. Fund 935 summer meals for youth. This summer, we are providing free meals to local youth and others in need in Detroit. With schools closed for the summer, we are filling a critical need for meals for children and young adults in particular. We are currently scheduled to provide 935 meals throughout the months of July and August 2023 and anticipate additional requests to come in. We are looking to raise at least $8,000 to fund these meals, which will cover food costs and labor costs.
2. Open a community fridge on site. Last year, we started partnering with a local org to set up a community fridge at the restaurant. This fridge would be housed at the edge of the property so that our guests 1) have increased accessibility to stop by at any time and 2) have more privacy to grab something out of the fridge instead of coming in to ask for a meal. Our partner org has a fridge available, but we would like to build out a more secure and permanent location on site with the area being covered from rain/snow and including something like a microwave to warm up meals. We are looking to raise at least $10,000 to start to build out the fridge housing area for added security and ease of use.

Donations of all amounts are greatly appreciated! We strive to use fresh ingredients and provide delicious and nutritious meals through Saffron Community Kitchen. Please note that this initiative is housed at the restaurant and is not eligible for tax-deductible status.

Lastly, are you interested in volunteering with meals or with creating the community fridge? We have partnered with local chefs, social workers, non-profit leaders, architects, landscapers, and many others in this work. We are always looking for volunteers for SCK programs. If you are interested, please reach out to Namira Islam Anani, Community Manager at Saffron De Twah, at namira@saffrondetwah.com for more information.