The non-profit Urban Roots has officially unveiled its fully functional teaching kitchen at its Second Street facility. The kitchen offers a space for educators to cook and prepare nutritious meals and snacks, a space for parents and children to learn cooking skills together and a rentable gathering space for the community. Various classes and events are open to the public.
The announcement came at a press conference last week. The public was presented with the project, which has been in the works since 2019.
The new facility aligns with Urban Root’s unique mission to change how communities eat and learn using a garden-based education approach. Specific offerings include parent-child cooking classes, canning workshops for adults and fall break cooking camps.
Opportunities to use the kitchen will expand. Reno City Council member Miguel Martinez runs the ward where Urban Roots is located and addressed the kitchen’s potential to become a community space championing education surrounding food for learners throughout Washoe County.
The space will also be open for weddings when availability allows, the first of which is scheduled for late September.
“This teaching kitchen is not unsimilar to gardening in the high desert,” said Jenny Angius, executive director of operations and development at Urban Roots. “At first glance, one might assume it would be easy, but once you encounter the specific soil requirements and temperature fluctuations, it’s easy to get discouraged. It’s the persistent ones… those who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty… who can coax a little green from this Battle Born soil.”
The product of a 2019 brainstorming session, building the kitchen during the pandemic wasn’t the only roadblock. The team also faced delays due to the labor shortage and a need for specialty modular builders.
