The Good Kitchen: Rebuilding a Community Through Food
Live, at lunch time, from Mussomeli on the 31st July
The original article, in Italian, can be read here 👇🏻
https://matteocerri.substack.com/publish/post/169450337
In Italy, territories are often divided into “central” and “peripheral” zones—into towns that matter and those considered “on the way out.” But sometimes, it's precisely from these so-called marginal places that the most inspiring stories emerge.
One of these stories is The Good Kitchen, born four years ago in Mussomeli, a small town in the province of Caltanissetta. It’s not just a kitchen. It’s a social project, a human stronghold, a bet that paid off.
At the heart of it is
ubbin—Australian by birth, but deeply European in mindset and mission. After working for years alongside Jamie Oliver in London and leading numerous food-based social initiatives around the world, Danny made the bold decision to relocate to Mussomeli—one of those small, often overlooked towns in inland Italy that many had already written off.But it’s precisely there that he chose to invest his time, energy, and relationships. He founded a community kitchen that does more than feed: it brings people together.
Here, it’s not just meals that are served—it’s stories that are shared. The kitchen rekindles a sense of community through shared cooking, celebrating what the territory has to offer: its produce, its traditions, its people.
In just four years, The Good Kitchen has become a key reference point—for residents, for returnees, and for people like Danny, who decided to start a new chapter of life there.
His is not a story of escape or return—it’s a conscious choice. And that’s precisely what makes it so powerful: it proves that civic and human regeneration doesn’t have to come only from those who stay or come back—it can also come from those who choose to arrive.
That’s why I’m honored to be “virtually” at the table, right at lunchtime (for our friends in Mussomeli), on the day The Good Kitchen celebrates its fourth anniversary.
📅 On July 31 at 12:30pm CET, join us for a special live event hosted by ITS ITALY and ITS Journal, streaming here on Substack directly from Mussomeli. We’ll hear directly from Danny about the story behind The Good Kitchen and his broader vision of what it means to inhabit, regenerate, and give back.
It’s a chance to reflect on a future that doesn’t require big cities—but instead presence, care, and relationships.
🔗 The livestream will also be available on our LinkedIn profile.
In the meantime, check out thegoodkitchensicily.com and watch Danny’s TEDx talk on YouTube. 👇🏻