USDA Official Praises Local Foods Movement
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- A U.S. Department of Agriculture officials praised Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley for “leading in the local foods movement” during a visit Tuesday to the Lake-to-River Food Hub.
Tony Logan, USDA’s rural development state director for Ohio, toured the Common Wealth Kitchen Incubator and proposed Elm Street Café inside the North Side building. He noted Common Wealth Inc.’s Jim Converse has been working with USDA on a $75,475 Farm Market Promotion Program grant awarded to the agency in 2011.
“Everyone here carries a passion for reforming the regional food chain and shaping it for the better, with the end result being a more nutritious product for everyone,” Logan said.
“The local foods movement isn’t just for fancy restaurants and foodies,” he added. “We need to provide sustainable, nutritious food for all income levels and you’ve really done a great job here in the Mahoning Valley.”
“The way we look at it this," Converse said, "is that every time you buy something to eat, you’re voting for one piece of the economy. If you can vote for the local economy and buy locally that’s great. We want to increase the number of things you can vote for and buy here in our region.”
Logan also praised the crowd funding campaign Lake-to-River is engaged in to raise funds for the cooperative. The goal is to raise $20,000 to put up drywall, repair the ceiling, update the electrical system and add a restroom, said Melissa Miller, marketing manager for the Lake-to-River Cooperative. Once those renovations are complete, the café will be ready to open.
“Anyone can donate as little as $10 up to as many thousand dollars as you’re able, and that gives everyone a little piece of ownership,” Miller said.
The JOBS Act signed into law in 2012 by President Obama provides the legal capacity to raise money through the Internet and in person to grow new businesses, Logan said. “This means that you don’t have some big banker or fat cat writing a big check to grow your business,” he remarked. “It’s hundreds or maybe thousands of people writing smaller checks and contributions to be part of that investment and help the business grow.”
The kitchen incubator operation, managed by Ben Shapiro, is under way. “My job is to help people start the food business they’ve always wanted,” he said. “We want to help start as many businesses as possible.”
Entrepreneurs can use the kitchen, depending on the purpose, for up to $18 per hour, Shapiro said. The incubator has a food preparation area and large commercial ovens available for entrepreneur caters and bakers. A rolling rack oven is under construction and the incubator will be adding space for a canning operation for making jams, jellies and salsas. Staff is also available to assist with meeting USDA requirements, he added.
Copyright 2013 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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