DC Central Kitchen Moving to New DC Home

DC Central Kitchen, the nation’s first group kitchen, will depart its shelter basement headquarters in Washington, D.C., for a brand new residence at The Michael R. Klein Middle for Jobs & Justice following a two-year marketing campaign that raised $35 million.

The nonprofit has spent greater than 30 years at 425 Second Road. The Michael R. Klein Middle for Jobs & Justice is at 2121 First Road SW within the Buzzard Level neighborhood. The 36,000-square-foot facility contains two flooring, together with a state-of-the-art manufacturing kitchen, quick-service café, culinary coaching services, and workplace house.

The lease is for 25 years with a five-year choice.

“This house meets the precise and distinctive operational wants of DC Central Kitchen,” CEO Mike Curtin Jr. advised Business Observer. “Operationally, we wanted each important back-of-house capacities like a big kitchen, air flow techniques and loading docks, and front-of-house components like house for a social enterprise café, coaching school rooms and welcoming areas for volunteers and potential culinary college students.”

Different positives embrace being close to MetroRail, MetroBus and the brand new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge. 

“This web site allowed us, as a direct-service nonprofit and social enterprise, to anchor a significant mixed-use growth in a neighborhood that’s each rising and has one of many metropolis’s highest unemployment charges,” Curtin stated. “It’s the best place to increase alternative and mannequin extra inclusive city growth approaches.”

The constructing is owned by a small group of native actual property builders, together with Herb Miller of Western Improvement, who has been a companion of DC Central Kitchen for a decade.

“Our metropolis wants wholesome meals and good jobs greater than ever earlier than,” Curtain stated. “As D.C. continues to get better from the financial and well being impacts of the pandemic, our mixture of expertise coaching, job creation and revolutionary, sustainable approaches to bringing nutritious meals the place it’s most wanted will assist extra of our neighbors share in that rebound as a substitute of being left behind.” 

DC Kitchen Central’s marketing campaign received help from personal donors, notable foundations and a $5 million financing bundle developed in partnership with CAHEC New Markets, Chase and Reinvestment Fund. 

“Disparities in employment, job safety and entry to meals amongst residents within the D.C. space, which elevated after COVID, create a robust want for a well-respected group like DC Central Kitchen to offer their culinary job coaching program that helps battle starvation and feed the group,” Courtney Nolan, Chase Neighborhood Improvement Banking’s vp, advised CO. 

DC Central Kitchen anticipates shifting to its new house this fall.

Keith Loria might be reached at Kloria@commercialobserver.com