Jon Bon Jovi on fighting hunger and the "magic" of songwriting
Jon Bon Jovi is a music legend, but he calls himself an "expert" in something else.
"I'm an expert in the field of washing dishes," Bon Jovi said. "I'm not afraid of getting dirty. I'm in there, I'm all soaped up and down dirty in the kitchen."
You may find it hard to believe that one of the most recognizable faces in rock music prides himself on his ability to keep a clean kitchen. But these days, it's all part of Jon Bon Jovi's mission to help people in need, reports "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King. Jon and his wife Dorothea have just opened their second "Soul Kitchen" - a restaurant that encourages its customers to "pay it forward."
"I think the intention was just to feed people in need and then try to figure out a way to sustain that," Dorothea said.
The couple wanted people to feel "empowered" by eating with "dignity."
"Well, because you are teaching the man to fish instead of giving him a fish. When you come into this restaurant, there are no prices on our menu. So if you are in need, you participate," Bon Jovi said. "And that means bussing the table, washing a dish, working in our gardens. If you are here to just enjoy a meal and affect change directly by buying a Pay It Forward card, you are paying for your meal and for someone else's that are here in the restaurant or are going to come tomorrow, and you don't know the difference between who are in need and who are not in need."
"Everyone's having the same experience," Dorothea added.
The restaurant is part of a bigger center called "B.E.A.T," which stands for "Bringing Everyone All Together." They opened it in Tom's River, New Jersey, a town still struggling after it was devastated by Superstorm Sandy.
The center also includes a food pantry, a food bank and a teaching kitchen.
"The point is for them to be trained so that they can go on to get a better job at a restaurant," Dorothea said. "Restaurant quality food."
Jon said his wife is the visionary behind Soul Kitchen and B.E.A.T center. The couple - married 27 years - were high school sweethearts. Despite being married to a rock legend, Dorothea said she lives a life that breaks away from stereotypes.
"Like our kids go, 'Oh, you know, everybody wants to go backstage,' and then they get backstage and it's like, 'Where's the party?' Oh, that happened 30 years ago," Dorothea said. "I think it's very normal and boring, like most people. Take your kid to school, you know, it's all that stuff."
That stuff may seem especially boring to the guy who's spent more than three decades fronting the rock band that bears his name. The band has evolved its sound to remain current. They boast 11 platinum albums and total world wide sales of more than 120 million albums.
Their next album is due out in September, this one without long-time guitarist and collaborator Richie Sambora.
"I haven't seen him in over three years. He just didn't show up for work anymore. And that's the truth of the matter," Bon Jovi said. "And, you know, life goes on. You know, being in a rock band is not a life sentence... you have other things in your life that you care to do. But it's okay, because you share your art as long as you choose to share it. You know, you don't have to do this for a living -- you choose to do it for a living."
Jon Bon Jovi has made that choice. Surprisingly, he said performing was his least favorite aspect of his music career, but called songwriting the "greatest thing."
"When I write a song, that's when the magic happens. Having written something that's going to be around long after we're all gone is as close to immortality as we'll ever be," Bon Jovi said.