NJ rocker serves up kindness: Opens new Toms River pop-up restaurant

🍝 JBJ Soul Kitchen opens a second location in Toms River

🍝 It's a pop-up spot

🍝 Payment is through donation or volunteer hours

TOMS RIVER — If you can’t get enough of Jon Bon Jovi and his philanthropic ways, you’ll be happy to know that the New Jersey rocker is at it again.

A second Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen community restaurant opens today in Toms River.

The new location is a temporary pop-up site inside the Ocean County Library, 101 Washington Street.

JBJ Soul Kitchen is a non-profit community restaurant, established by the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, that vows to serve hot, nutritious food to both paying customers and those in need.

Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea wanted to open a restaurant that not only helps to fight food insecurity and homelessness but also creates a sense of community. So, the first JBJ Soul Kitchen opened in October 2011 in Red Bank.

The three-course meals at JBJ Soul Kitchen are based on American Regional cuisine, beginning with a soup or salad option. Each guest also has the choice of an entrée such as meat, fish, or a vegetarian selection. The meal wraps up with a freshly made dessert or a choice of fruit. Many of the dishes are made with natural, locally sourced ingredients.

There are no menu prices. Instead, a suggested donation is offered to paying customers. For those who can pay, the restaurant asks that you not only make a donation but also “pay it forward” to cover the cost of those who can’t afford to pay for their meals.

For those who can’t afford to pay, no worries. You can volunteer. Come in and enjoy a soup/salad, entrée, and dessert. Then learn how you can donate your time at JBJ Soul Kitchen.

Deputy Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners Frank Sadeghi and Ocean County Commissioner and Liaison to the Ocean County Library Board of Commissioners Jennifier Bacchione were able to visit the space a few days prior to the grand opening and were very impressed with the new addition to the Toms River Branch.

"Having the JBJ Soul Kitchen Pop-Up be a part of the main branch of the Ocean County Library provides great opportunities for the library café and the JBJ Soul Kitchen Pop-Up. It has been a while since the space has been filled and this type of coordination will bring a lot of benefits to everyone involved. I appreciate the work of both the library and the JBJ Soul Kitchen Pop-Up to make this happen," said Sadeghi.

According to the Asbury Park Press, sandwiches, wraps, bowls, large salads, and desserts will be served at the Toms River pop-up spot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays. The pop-up is expected to remain open at the library through the winter.

The other JBJ Soul Kitchen location in Toms River is at 1769, Hooper Avenue. It also houses the People’s Pantry and Fulfill, formerly the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

There are three other locations in Red Bank (207 Monmouth Street), at Rutgers University-Newark (350 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd), and in Jersey City at New Jersey City University (2039 John F. Kennedy Blvd).

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom