Community Kitchen Initiative Empowers Entrepreneurs East of the River
Pupusas sizzle on the griddle, Swiss chocolate melts on the stovetop, and parmesan cheese is sprinkled on salmon alfredo all while mac n’ cheese bakes in the oven. The sweet and savory aromas waft into Martha’s Table’s market, filling the noses of eager shoppers and volunteers. Located in Ward 8, Martha’s Table is leveraging its pristine, 1,000-square-foot commercial kitchen at The Commons to expand the capacity of local culinary entrepreneurs. Martha’s Table opened The Commons at Stanton Square, its headquarters, in 2018 after an expansive planning process and with over $30 million of LISC investment through our Healthy Futures Fund, Section 4 Capacity Building Dollars, LIHTC equity, and New Market Tax Credits. The Commons is home to food distribution programs, an early childhood education center, health and wellness initiatives, economic mobility programs, and now, entrepreneurship.
The Community Kitchen Initiative, Martha’s Table’s newest program aimed at promoting upward economic mobility, supports five culinary entrepreneurs’ business growth, provides technical assistance, and expands their ability to serve more customers. The entrepreneurs can reserve the kitchen, including for catering events on weekends, and store their products. The inaugural cohort of the Community Kitchen Initiative includes Gesenia Corea (Side Dish Queen), Yessica Guerra (Los Quesos), Christa and Terry Joyner (Mamma Tee’s Kitchen), and Brett Dyer (Wolfmoon Catering). The LISC DC team visited Martha’s Table recently, toured the commercial kitchen, met the entrepreneurs, and, yes, we ate!
Yessica Guerra, Founder of Los Quesos
“The pilot cohort has demonstrated that businesses will scale, mobilize and thrive when provided with the essential support that businesses need during the development stage.”
“The launch of Martha's Table's Community Kitchen program, in partnership with the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC), represents our continued investment in our neighbors. The pilot cohort has demonstrated that businesses will scale, mobilize and thrive when provided with the essential support that businesses need during the development stage,” said David Lloyd, Deputy Chief of Programs, Economic Mobility at Martha’s Table.
Of note, David emphasized the importance of partnership as key. The Community Kitchen Initiative is a partnership between Martha’s Table and the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC). LEDC is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that equips Latinos and other underserved communities with the skills and financial tools to create a better future for their families and communities, from staying in their apartment buildings to scaling their businesses. LEDC is a key technical assistance provider and funder for small businesses and cooperatives, so they are providing a variety of resources to the entrepreneurs such as marketing tools, capital, and Lean Start Business Plan support. LEDC’s subject matter expertise and resources combined with Martha’s Table’s commercial kitchen and programmatic support provide participants with insights, advice, and literally the space where the magic is made in the kitchen.
Martha’s Table and LEDC are long-time LISC partners and are an integral part of DC’s community development ecosystem, utilizing holistic approaches to support residents from housing to food to entrepreneurship. LISC DC proudly supported the Community Kitchen Initiative through our HUD Section 4 Capacity Building program and grant dollars made possible by Kaiser Permanente, including $2,500 grants to each of the businesses in the cohort to implement recommendations and initiatives they’ve cultivated throughout the program.
Since the launch, each entrepreneur has expanded their businesses:
- Mamma Tee’s Kitchen went from operating on only Saturdays at Eastern Market to both Saturdays and Sundays.
- Side Dish Queen has taken on additional clients for gourmet meal prep services given the additional space and capacity of the commercial kitchen.
- Los Quesos has purchased and launched a food truck that is now serving multiple locations in Ward 8.
- In addition to continuing to grow his catering business, Wolfmoon Catering recently purchased a food truck to provide mobility and growth for his business.
Gesenia Corea, Founder of Side Dish Queen
“Martha’s Table's Community Kitchen program has been a catalyst for our company’s success. It has been the center of development for our expanding business. We value this opportunity to the fullest extent."
“Martha’s Table's Community Kitchen program has been a catalyst for our company’s success. It has been the center of development for our expanding business. We value this opportunity to the fullest extent,” said Christa and Terry Joyner of Mamma Tee’s Kitchen. One key element to the growth of the food entrepreneurs has been the opportunity to showcase their talents at Martha's Table events--from small meetings with 10 people to large-scale community anchor events like their Harvest Dinner, where over 900 people enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving meal including smoked gouda mac and cheese and collard greens.
Although restaurants and businesses in the same industry can often be pitted against one another as competition, these entrepreneurs have leveraged the cohort to learn from one another and make each other better. The proof is in the pudding, or rather, the chocolate mousse.
Christa Joyner and Terry Joyner, Founders of Mamma Tee's Kitchen
About LISC: Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)is one the country’s largest community development organizations, helping forge vibrant, resilient communities across America. We work with residents and partners to close systemic gaps in health, wealth and opportunity and advance racial equity so that people and places can thrive. LISC has 38 local offices across the country, including one in Washington, D.C. (LISC DC). Since our founding in 1982, LISC DC has invested $557 million to create 15,169 affordable homes and apartments, develop 3.7 million square feet of retail, community and educational space, and help tens of thousands of people find employment and improve their finances.
About The Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC): The Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) is a non-profit community development organization founded in 1991. LEDC’s mission is to serve as a catalyst that drives the economic and social advancement of low-to-moderate-income Latinos and other underserved communities by equipping them with the skills and tools to achieve financial independence, acquire personal and business assets, and create generational wealth. We achieve our mission through small business development and financing, homeownership counseling, tenant services, and affordable housing preservation.
About Martha’s Table: Four decades ago, Martha’s Table opened our doors to children in need of a safe place and a warm meal after school. Over the years, we have evolved to meet the changing needs and growing aspirations of our communities. Today, Martha's Table works in deep collaboration with our neighbors to deliver on our mission to support strong children, strong families, and strong communities in the District of Columbia. We do so by providing a holistic range of services focused on high-quality education, health and wellness, family supports, and community investments that help our neighbors, particularly those in Wards 7 and 8, move from instability to thriving. Learn more at www.marthastable.org.