“Thank you for all that you do! Beautiful people doing beautiful work!”
— Jessie Dodson
Father Thomas Bokenkotter
August 19, 1924 — July 11, 2021
Queen City Kitchen was founded by Father Thomas Bokenkotter in 1976. Fr. Bokenkotter taught that people experience poverty for many reasons. While the larger community explores solutions to those struggling at the edge, our focus is simple—we alleviate hunger. This reflection continues to inspire the work of Queen City Kitchen today.
Our History
Founded in 1976
Over-the-Rhine Kitchen was founded in 1976 by Father Thomas Bokenkotter and his colleagues. Fr. Bokenkotter had visited Dorothy Day’s House of Hospitality in New York City and realized Cincinnati needed a kitchen to provide a meal without obligatory religious service for the many residents of Cincinnati’s neighborhoods who live in, or near, poverty.
Fr. Bokenkotter recruited volunteers and, with just $700, began serving meals in a building on Main Street. The Over-the-Rhine kitchen moved several times before settling in 2003, into its location at 1620 Vine Street.
A Season of Changes 2022-23
The COVID-19 Pandemic and other factors have brought change to Queen City Kitchen.
QCK services at the OTR Kitchen location on Vine Street were suspended in 2022 during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
In 2022, Talbert House (Geiger House’s owner) notified Queen City Kitchen of its plan to tear down the building and replace it with apartments for homeless veterans; QCK would have to move.
QCK found new ‘temporary’ quarters at the Walnut Hills Baptist Church, several blocks away from Geiger House and moved in December 2023.
A Second Kitchen in 1985
A separate, second kitchen, The Walnut Hills Kitchen was housed in the Geiger House, an old elementary school on Gilbert Avenue named Queen City Kitchen for Tom Geiger, who helped open the original Over-the-Rhine Kitchen.
Using the old cafeteria on the ground floor of a building that provided housing to local residents, QCK served neighbors in Walnut Hills for 38 years, providing both hot meals during the week and access to a ‘choice’ pantry.
Our Next Chapter
The move from Geiger House prompted the board to search its focus and agreed that its mission was best tied to serving neighbors in the Walnut Hills neighborhood. Our ‘temporary’ location at the Walnut Hills Baptist Church allows us to do that every week. We have determined that we will not return to the food service in Over The Rhine given other local neighborhood alternatives, and are actively seeker a buyer for the property. The Board is exploring options for our next chapter and will continue to deliver our mission from the Walnut Hills Baptist Church as we enter our 50th year of serving our neighbors.