TOMS RIVER — In February 2025, the JBJ Soul Kitchen quietly opened its doors at the Ocean County Library’s downtown Toms River branch. The initiative — a temporary pop-up café operated by the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation — was designed to address local food insecurity by offering nutritious meals on a pay-it-forward basis. It was approved by the Ocean County Library Commission, an independent governing body, and supported by community organizations.
The project was discussed publicly at two Library Commission meetings in fall 2024. Both meetings were properly noticed and open to the public. At neither meeting did the Mayor, his administration, nor any member of the public raise objections. No formal or informal concerns were submitted to the Commission in writing or on the record.
Yet despite this transparent process, the project has since become a flashpoint in Toms River politics.
Following the kitchen’s opening, Mayor Daniel Rodrick publicly condemned the initiative, calling it a magnet for homelessness and blaming the Ocean County Board of Commissioners for its existence. He claimed to have been blindsided by the project and criticized its placement in the downtown corridor.
However, records and internal approvals show that the Mayor’s administration not only knew about the project but also approved the necessary permits for it to move forward.
Documents reveal that the Toms River Construction Department — led by Director Marisa Matarazzo — issued the required construction approvals and inspections prior to the Soul Kitchen’s opening. Matarazzo is the wife of Anthony Matarazzo, the Ward 4 council candidate running on Mayor Rodrick’s ticket. These approvals were essential to converting the long-vacant library café space into a functioning meal service site.
“If there were concerns, the time to act was before permits were issued and renovations were made,” said one Toms River official on background. “Instead, the Mayor waited until after the opening to make it a political issue.”
Under New Jersey law, municipal governments have broad authority over local construction approvals and the use of public buildings. If the Mayor truly opposed the initiative, his administration had both the tools and the time to stop it, but no such attempt was made.
The Soul Kitchen, which operated temporarily from February through April, served meals while also providing patrons with connections to housing, mental health, and employment services. The initiative was part of a broader effort to address hunger and social vulnerability through dignity and community engagement.
As the issue unfolds, many residents are questioning why a project approved with no opposition — and facilitated by the Township — is now being framed as a surprise. The political about-face has sparked criticism that the Mayor is using the issue as a distraction while deflecting from the actions of his own administration.
