Mayor Cephas present; Ward 1, B. Summers (present), Ward 2, S. Lewis-Sisco (present), Ward 3, F. Stout (absent), Ward 4, S. Cephas, (present), Ward 5, B. Roche (absent), City Manager, G. Steckman (present)

The city commissioners met with Amanda Kidd, the Executive Director of Four-Eleven Kitchen, at the Packing House, for the purpose of discussing workforce development.

Kidd explained to the city council members her vision of Four Eleven Kitchen as a hub for all things food and hospitality driven. Their Facebook slogan is, “Providing pathways that will empower, elevate and establish your food business.” This commercial kitchen is available for use by caterers, food entrepreneurs or, as Kidd would say, “foodpreneurs,” chefs, aspiring food truck owners, bakers and anyone needing kitchen facilities for event planning. The different spaces offered at the establishment can be rented online.

Supplementing her income from rentals, Kidd does apply for appropriate grants that are available. Providing outreach to the community, Four Eleven has a focus group Zoom call once a month that anyone can join by signing up for it on Facebook. The topics discussed are related to the hospitality and food industries which are quite broad in scope.

Kidd gave a tour of the premises and explained the purpose of the different areas. The facilities at the Packing House feature a commercial grade kitchen that foodpreneurs can use. This is a large kitchen area that can be shared for sizable food preparation and events.

Also included at Four Eleven is a kitchen for bakers with a dough kneading machine and other needed bakery equipment. These kitchen areas can be shared or used alone. To complete the commercial kitchen accoutrements are a large pantry and a walk-in refrigerator and freezer. There is a big unused space that Kidd plans to use in the future for housing canned and boxed foods for disadvantaged families.

The ward commissioners asked some pertinent questions. Ward 1 Commissioner, Brett Summers, commented that Four Eleven Kitchen should be part of any discussion about food events in and around the city. He asked if he could facilitate a meeting between Kidd and the business owners of Main Street. He would like to introduce Four Eleven Kitchen to them for possible upcoming events.

Summers asked about any current plans for internship programs that would train personnel for work in a restaurant. Kidd responded that training wait and kitchen staff was part of her overall plan to provide talent and expertise to the hospitality and food industry. It has yet to get off the ground. Summers owns the Blackwater Bakery in town and said that no one comes in looking for kitchen-based jobs. The bakery would encourage and welcome people looking for this line of work. Summers suggested the use of a qualified chef to donate some time to educate trainees at Four Eleven Kitchen. He was willing to help facilitate this endeavor.

President Sputty Cephas suggested that Four Eleven Kitchen apply for an entry to the Dorchester County Career and Technology Center (DCTC) job fair to scout out interested students for kitchen staff training. Any upcoming job fairs could be utilized for attracting adults interested in working in the food industry as well.

Ward 2 Commissioner, Shay Lewis-Sisco, is a career coach at DCTC. She talked about the culinary arts program at the school and explained that students would be looking for jobs in the food industry. She said she would help facilitate Four Eleven any way that she can.

David King, of Blackwater Rising, was also present at the meeting. King is collaborating with Four Eleven Kitchen on leasing land from the city for planting. Blackwater Rising is a non-profit organization using donated land plots around the city to plant food crops for underprivileged people. King and Kidd are currently working with the City Planning Commission Director, Brian Hermann, on leasing two Cambridge city plots. These plots of land will be used to teach people how to grow food to sustain themselves and to supplement their food sources.

Mayor Lajan Cephas added that the proposed park on Leonard’s Lane is designed to have garden plots. She encouraged Blackwater and Four Eleven to consider utilizing these plots for teaching about sustainable food crops.

Notes taken by A. Kennedy, CAN member.