Resistance Diner Feeds the Appetite for Community and Conversation

If pounding the pavement with homemade signs isn’t your style of activism, the Resistance Diner offers a tasty alternative: a four-course meal accompanied by wine, beer and fellow rebels. Created by local chefs Madeline and Chris Jang after they found themselves distraught at the results of the last election, the diner hosts a monthly pop-up dinner and donates a portion of the proceeds to a nonprofit of choice.

“The election of our POTUS had put me in a really dark place for multiple months,” Madeline explains. “We just went to the Women’s March in Denver, and the energy I received from that moved me into action.”

The Jangs purposefully pick nonprofits that support causes targeted by President Donald Trump as beneficiaries of the Resistance Diner. The first dinner in February raised money for Planned Parenthood; in March, the American Civil Liberties Union received a check. This month, the Union of Concerned Scientists will be the beneficiary of the dinner, which will be hosted at the Corner Beet, 1401 Ogden Street, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23, the day after Earth Day and Denver’s March for Science in Civic Center Park.

Both Chris and Madeline work at Zengo. Chris is a sushi chef who trained in Virginia; Madeline is a pastry chef who attended Johnson County Community College in Kansas, which has an award-winning culinary school. Balancing full-time work, raising a baby and hosting a monthly dinner can be difficult, but Madeline says it’s all worth it when she sees strangers becoming friends at one of the events.

“Once the people are in their seats talking and eating, I get a full sense of joy,” Madeline says. “The community that has been created at each dinner makes it all worth it.”

Tickets for the April 23 event are $50 for a four-course dinner accompanied by wine or beer (donated by Epic Brewing Company), or $40 for the meal only. Once the food costs have been covered, the rest of the ticket proceeds will be donated to the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The menu will consist of Mediterranean-inspired vegetarian fare that reflects the Corner Beet’s typical offerings; you can see the full lineup at facebook.com/theresistancediner, where you can also sign up.