Construction Advances at the ReFresh Project

Excitement is growing at Liberty’s Kitchen as construction at our new home in the ReFresh Project advances! Located at the corner of Broad and Bienville Streets, the ReFresh Project will revitalize an economically depressed corridor and foster a special collaboration between Liberty’s Kitchen and Whole Foods Market, along with other tenants including Tulane University’s Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine.  The partnership between Whole Foods and Liberty’s Kitchen will provide production and training opportunities for our participants as well as a retail presence for Liberty’s Kitchen products.  This “Fresh Food Hub” will deliver healthy, affordable food and community engagement opportunities while anchoring development in the underserved neighborhoods surrounding Broad Street.

We have outgrown our current space – current operations, students, and staff are spread across multiple locations to accommodate the growth our program has experienced in just four years.  Our new 10,000 sq. ft. home at the ReFresh Project will not only bring us together under one roof but allow us to also increase the number of disconnected youth we serve with culinary and life-skills training, increase the number of fresh healthy meals prepared for the community, streamline and scale our work, and enhance the programs overall.  Students and Youth Development staff are particularly excited about the expanded classroom space for our training program that will be more conducive to teaching and learning.  The addition of an onsite commissary kitchen and kitchen support space, as well as an expanded galley kitchen, has the chefs and their students fired up.

Janet Davas, Founder and Executive Director of Liberty’s Kitchen, says, “Liberty’s Kitchen is honored to play a vital role in the Refresh Project – allowing us to expand and improve the services we provide in our dual social mission – from moving disconnected youth and young adults from poverty to self-sufficiency in our Youth Development Program – to preparing and serving scratch-made, nutritious and locally-sourced meals to our community.”

Join us in the excitement – sign up for Liberty’s Kitchen email updates or donate now to support our expansion to the ReFresh Project.