In 2012, Jen Hidinger-Kendrick's husband, Chef Ryan Hidinger was diagnosed with late stage terminal cancer of the gallbladder. Friends, family and the Atlanta community rallied behind her family and raised over $300,000. Jen said that this outpouring gave Ryan a peace of mind and that the community's overwhelming response to the Hidingers' crisis set the intent, beliefs and values for the Giving Kitchen. "Tragedy hit and crisis hit for us. But what happened after that really is what changed the trajectory we believe of the restaurant and food service industry of what we are seeing now with the work we are doing with Giving Kitchen."

Giving Kitchen is an Atlanta based non-profit that offers stability including financial aid to food service workers in times of crisis such as sickness, injury, death of immediate family member, and national disaster in addition to other programs. And, Giving Kitchen is the 2019 James Beard Foundation's Humanitarian of the Year.