The Nourishing NYC reflects the creativity and ideas of Gina Keatley , the Executive Chef and Director. She designed the soup kitchen as a café so that everyone coming in for a meal would feel comfortable where they eat healthy food.Curious about why Gina opened Nourishing NYC? Read more below!
Q: What inspired you to open Nourishing NYC?
A: As a chef and nutritionist, I felt that it was a much needed program in Harlem. I've been a chef for ten years now and went to New York University for a nutrition degree because I wanted to learn more about food science, which covers everything from how food is grown to what happens to the body when it is eaten. After getting the degree, I was living in East Harlem and I noticed that there were very poor offerings for healthy food at grocery stores and restaurants in the neighborhood. I wanted healthy food in the area for myself and everyone else living there. I've never been someone who could just look the other way when something needs to be done. Since I've volunteered for years in soup kitchens, I decided to open one in East Harlem.
Q: You mentioned that Nourishing NYC is expanding-can you tell us more about that?
A: Nourishing NYC has a satellite program with 5C Café on the Lower East Side, which is a cultural café that has regular entertainment like musical acts and spoken word. On the first Tuesday of every month we work with them to cook food and serve hot meals to the residents of that community. One of Nourishing NYC's main goals is to open satellite offices in each borough and have participants from our nutritional training programs run them-this is another way to offer job and leadership training skills to community members while also helping more NYC residents get healthy food. People involved in our programs are learning about healthy food and then how to actually get a job that uses their skills to promote healthy eating.
We are also trying to start a four-month culinary training program for women in recovery from drugs or alcohol as well as for women with minor disabilities, such as mental illnesses, to teach them hands-on skills in cooking healthy food. We just need approval from New York State and the City to get government funds. If that doesn't work, we're going to try to get private donations because I think this program is very important for women who are seeking job training. The idea is to provide job skills as well as placement so program participants can get a job in the food services industry or run soup kitchens in other boroughs in addition to Manhattan.
neighborhoodgardener January 12, 2010 - 4:08pm
Gina and Ari,
Re starting a program for women: you may do well to ally your organization with Greenhope Services for Women, and their new housing project just around the corner from you, on East 119th Street. I'm sure they'd welcome your help!
http://www.greenhope.org/about/future_home.shtml