Non-profit organization BluePrint Geneva has received $44,000 in federal funds to establish a community kitchen and café.
The money was announced last week by U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as part of the federal omnibus spending package for the 2022 fiscal year.
The pay-what-you-can café will focus on providing healthy foods to Geneva residents and addressing food insecurity. The space will also be utilized as a commercial kitchen for small-scale food businesses to prepare products and grow their companies.
“As the city builds its Finger Lakes food and beverage brand, we can play a role in that,” said BluePrint Executive Director Jackie Augustine, according to Finger Lakes Times. “Thanks to Sen. Schumer’s efforts to secure this funding, the kitchen can be a training ground for aspiring chefs who can learn and work alongside our chef Samantha (Buyskes), with all of her accomplishments and skills, and then move on to other restaurants or start one of their own. Together, we can move the needle in so many ways.”
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