Nutrition Kitchen unveiled

ELYRIA — Neighbor- hood Alliance hosted the grand opening of its new Neighborhood Nutrition Kitchen with a ribboncutting and friendly chef competition on March 29.

CEO Alicia Foss called the grand opening a pivotal moment not only for Neighborhood Alliance but also for all of Lorain County and those it serves, eliminating the wait lists for home-delivered meals and expanding its operational impact.

Foss said the kitchen hopes to provide 350,000 meals annually out of the new kitchen by 2026 with a long-term plan to continue to provide meals to the community.

The centralized commercial kitchen will also serve the Haven Center homeless shelter in Lorain and Neighborhood Alliance’s child care center.

The kitchen was constructed in the former Elyria YMCA building where the locker room once sat. The building was donated to Neighborhood Alliance in 2020 after sitting vacant for 14 years and will serve as the hub for the organization’s human service programming.

Foss said they wouldn’t be at this moment had it not been for the strong support from the community including grants from the Lorain County commissioners, city of Elyria, Stocker Foundation, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, the Norton Family Foundation and Meals on Wheels.

The project received $500,000 from the commissioners and an additional $150,000 from the city of Elyria.

“Three years ago on April Fools’ Day 2020, during a pandemic, Dick Bonner donated this building to Neighborhood Alliance. His gift was the catalyst we needed to launch our capital projects,” Foss said.

More important than just a kitchen, Foss said this is the first phase of a sixphase process to improve three service locations, including the 9,000-squarefoot expansion of the

Haven Center homeless center in Lorain later this year. Neighborhood Alliance is ready to rise to that challenge.

“We know there are needs out there that can’t be met right now. And we are taking steps to prevent that from continuing to happen, she said.

The kitchen will also become part of an externship program in partnership with Lorain County Community College’s culinary arts program.

Elyria Mayor Frank Whitfield has embraced Neighborhood Alliance’s presence in the city, applauding the organization’s foresight and courage to see its vision come to life.

“This is such an epic day for the city of Elyria. So many people have made so many memories in this building and now they’re going to be able to create new memories here that are actually providing a service to the city,” Whitfield said.

Neighborhood Alliance, Whitfield noted, serves more than 51,000 meals to seniors in Elyria, and he has been able to ride along and help deliver some of those meals.

“And I know the residents appreciate this. So many families who don’t live here still have their elderly loved ones that live here, and they trust in us to be supporting them while they’re still here,” the mayor said.

Lorain County Commissioner Michelle Hung said the investment by the county in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the stories of what local communities went through highlighted the importance of getting funding back to the people. With American Rescue Plan Act funding the Neighborhood Nutrition Kitchen, she said there are tangible real results people can see.

“And we are proud to be together today to see what this collaboration has brought,” Hung said. Over the past 12 to 18 months, residents have seen the presentations, the data and the renderings on the project, and Neighborhood Alliance, “they see the people they will serve. For them, it’s all about the people.”

Whitfield also served as emcee for the event, which featured a friendly competition with three local chefs serving dishes with ingredients selected by Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Ohio.

Chef Michael Castro of Lorain was crowned victorious by unanimous decision by four guest judges for his dish, a cumin-rubbed flank steak, sweet potato purée, avocado salsa, gremolata and cilantro oil.

Castro runs Modern Elegance Culinary Experi- a catering company for in-home events and corporate events.

Also competing were Chef Angel Sanchez of Lorain and Sean Wright, head chef at Elyria’s Foundry Kitchen & Bar.

Contestants were tasked with creating a dish with a mix of fresh and frozen ingredients selected by Second Harvest. As an added twist, all three teams had to incorporate a surprise ingredient of chili chocolate.