Working Food reports multiyear gains for youth culinary programs and farmer value-added sales

Working Food presented its final report on a three-year Alachua County agreement that funded youth culinary workforce programming and a farmer value-added production pilot. Executive Director Shelby Dixon said the multiyear funding helped move pilots to sustainable programs and produced measurable outcomes: "Over the course of 3 years, we engaged 69 youth and 3 different young chefs programs," she said, summarizing the youth pipelines and workforce certifications.

The initiative included multiple programs: an in-garden cooking program for children; a teen program that moved from virtual to in-person instruction; a Young Chefs internship tied to workforce placement with several students earning ServSafe manager or handler certifications; and a farmer value-add program in which participating producers generated approximately $254,900 in revenue and collectively produced more than 21,000 value-added items. Working Food said most participating farmer-entrepreneurs saw 100%-500% sales growth and expanded into new retail outlets.

Commissioners praised the multiyear model and directed staff to explore options for a continuing community food-systems partnership grant program and the development of a commercial kitchen incubator in partnership with local educational institutions and entrepreneurs.