Seconds- a Community Commercial Kitchen for Hudson

The pandemic became a reality in Hudson around March 15, 2020. Every shop and restaurant was closed or closing, supermarkets were rationing items, and a fear of the unknown permeated everywhere. On March 19, I, with the help of the unfailing people at Time and Space Limited, cooked and distributed 100 meals for anyone that was hungry. We were among the first of the first responders. Through monetary contributions, food donations, and volunteer work from the community, we were able to continue our efforts, and what started as a scramble to make 100 meals evolved into a smooth system that made 6000.

 

Even before the pandemic, the issue of accessible, affordable food in our community was a pervasive problem. While the lens of the pandemic may have brought the issues into a finer focus, and the pains of the pandemic are perhaps not felt as sharply as they did earlier on, the problems of availability of affordable and nutritious food in our area persist.

 

I have a vision for what I believe can work towards a solution. Our goal is to create a kitchen that cooks for the community, with cooks from the community. The food will range from fine foods to free foods, with the margins from the former helping to facilitate the latter. It will be a commercial kitchen that provides everything needed for community members to come and cook food, and methods of distribution for food made. Cooks will be paid for the food they make, and the schedule will be more forgiving than one offered by a traditional restaurant. The kitchen will offer subscriptions, purvey its food in shops around town, provide cooking classes, catering, and more. If all goes to plan the majority of foods made will be distributed in reusable packaging.

 

I am partnered with my friend and neighbor, Basil, who owns the kitchen space, which used to be a restaurant. While the kitchen has not been functional for a decade, it is mostly equipped with what we need. We are in the process of renovating the kitchen. We have been waiting for over a year for the zoning of the space to be amended so that it could operate as a business, again. Recently, the zoning has been approved, and we are ready to begin.

 

Basil has already put his own money into the project to help with the renovations needed. We will need to purchase cooking supplies, ingredients for meals, a new sink, hire a plumber, and have many other costs involved in getting up and running.

 

When I cooked during the early days of the pandemic, I began with the intention of making wholesome meals and never turning a person away that was hungry. Through the generosity of others, we were able to maintain and achieve our goals throughout the entirety of the endeavor. I am asking, now, for generosity, again. I believe that with the proposed model, we can continue in our aim to feed whoever is hungry; we just need help to get started.