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Culinary Center
The Food Bank was the first in the nation to have an on-site Culinary Center with a professional kitchen and cooking demonstration area. The Culinary Center prepares nutritious meals from perishable food that would otherwise be discarded. These meals are served hot on the Mobile Eatery food trucks, and are also preserved by freezing then distributed by our Partner Agencies.
Culinary Center
Before our Culinary Center was built, more than 30% of perishable food donations went to waste because the Food Bank could not distribute them fast enough. Now less than 5% of perishable food donations go to waste because of this program. Over-ripe tomatoes may become pasta sauce, a restaurant’s extra rice may go into a soup, or a grocery store’s leftover rotisserie chickens may be used in an entrée.
Mobile Eatery Food Truck
The Mobile Eateries focus on summer and other school break feeding for children. They also provide meals at school events to boost family attendance, like literacy nights, during grocery distributions, serving at senior centers and raising funds through events to give back to the Food Bank’s programs.
Culinary Trade Program
The Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation Culinary Trade Program offers a fresh start to low-income individuals, providing them with 16 weeks of culinary training in the Culinary Center. Through this program, students assist with all facets of culinary services.