Project Description

Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID) faces various environmental and economic injustices. Food insecurity, poor air quality, and high rates of health issues are consequences of decades of institutional harm and neglect. Businesses and residents in CID are at high risk of displacement due to the rise in speculative development in downtown Seattle.

Despite these hardships, CID is a culturally vibrant neighborhood with many small businesses and cultural hubs. Seattleites visit CID to eat at family-owned restaurants. The Danny Woo Community Garden is the neighborhood’s only green space, where low-income elders grow culturally relevant food. We seek to support and emphasize these community assets – restaurants and gardens.

Restaurant 2 Garden is the first step to decentralizing food waste management, propelling hyperlocal composting that brings waste management actions closer to home, and builds community in the process. Our mission is to reduce waste and build community in the CID and beyond. We are committed to innovative, community-focused solutions where food waste is transformed into soil amendments to improve health for our neighbors. 

Our project launched in 2022 with pilot operations based in Danny Woo Community Garden. In the coming year, we are scaling operations to an expanded project site at 919 S King Street which will feature a 20-foot “Earth Flow” Composter that will enable us to scale service to over 100 food businesses in the CID.

Meet Our Staff

  • Joycelyn Chui

    CO-FOUNDER & STRATEGIC ADVISOR

    Joy (she/her) focuses on project and service expansion, fundraising, and building strategic partnerships with other organizations. The platform created by Restaurant 2 Garden inspires her most, as it allows visitors to visualize and learn about how waste is managed within the community. Her favorite part of the workday is tending to the red wiggler worms that work 24/7/365 (talk about super overtime!). Outside of R2G, you can find her in a hot yoga studio, gardening, sharpening her BBQ skills, playing mahjong.

  • Amy B Huynh

    DIRECTOR

    Amy (she/they) is responsible for strategic planning, driving forward site expansion plans, and empowering staff to thrive. Amy loves that R2G shares ownership of this project with so many contributors, and there is such a shared love of CID, being outdoors, and climate action in our community. Her favorite task during compost work days is turning the compost pile. Outside R2G, you can find her running slow, going analog, and getting her best sleep in the backcountry.

  • Gina Lee

    OUTREACH & EDUCATION MANAGER

    Gina (she/they) is responsible for building workshops and tours, and are currently developing restaurant business outreach. They also support composting workdays and other projects as needed. Gina enjoys being a part of an ambitious team working on a meaningful community project from the ground up. Her favorite part of a compost workday is getting to be with the dedicated volunteers and moving mulch! Outside of R2G you can find Gina scheming her next bike adventure fix.

  • Jaykub Rafael

    COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR

    Jaykub (he/him) is responsible for advising community engagement projects, and updating our communication platforms, ensuring our community always knows what we are up to. He is inspired by the community power that is built in the community composting process, and he thinks that compost itself is very beautiful. Outside of R2G you can find him at a concert, biking around, or in search for a good sandwich. Jaykub is also currently a student at UC Berkeley, in the Master of City Planning program.

  • Tina Guevara

    OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

    Tina (she/her) is responsible for streamlining our compost production, from maintaining necessary supplies and procedures to keeping up-to-date on the latest compost knowledge. Tina is grateful to be doing climate work in and with the CID community, and that she is able to use her teaching skills while doing so. She also has a newfound love for composting! Outside of R2G you can find her on a neighborhood walk, dancing at the Reverie Ballroom, or working on a cozy craft.