NEW YORK — It’s a big move for a well-known non-profit. Hot Bread Kitchen, which has been in Harlem for 10 years, has made the move to Brooklyn.
The group, which creates economic opportunities for women through careers in food, is now expanding the possibilities for many more underemployed New Yorkers.
Onasia Blue, who has always had a passion for baking, is just two weeks shy of finishing up her classes at hot bread kitchen. Her experience? “It was amazing.”
What was Blue’s push to come to Hot Bread Kitchen?
Her 16-year-old daughter who has special needs. The two love to bake together.
“It’s a passion. It took me 30-something years to discover this is what I want to do, now that I have the opportunity with this program, I’m trying to soar with it. “
The Hot Bread Kitchen started 10 years ago in Harlem. Hot Bread Kitchen was founded as a bakery that partners with small bakers to make and sell their break to raise money for the program.
The program is a four-week course in which they teach women the skills they need for their first jobs in the food industry.
It is such a success, the non-profit had to move to a larger facility with a state-of-the-art kitchen so they could serve more of the community.
Each class has about 30 women, who had to apply for these spots. Not only are they learning to work in a fast-paced environment, but they learn how to apply and interview for jobs.
The CEO, Shaolee Sen, said those number are beyond rewarding.
“To see women who have not been able to access the workplace and really want to work and bring home a paycheck to stabilize their family income, and plan for their own future and children’s future is a very rewarding outcome of work we do.”
The Hot Bread Kitchen also incubates small food businesses as they build their brands and grow their sales.
You can find Hot Bread Kitchen signatures breads at Whole Foods and other New York City grocery stores.
All proceeds feed their mission.
