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From YouTube: CommonWealth Kitchen Building Purchase Announcement
Description
After operating in the former Pearl Meats Factory building since 2014, CommonWealth Kitchen announces their plans to purchase the former Bornstein & Pearl Food Production Center for their new state-of-the-art kitchen. Additionally, Mayor Janey has allocated $2.5 million in City of Boston funding that will allow the kitchen to purchase and stabilize the building, invest in energy improvements, upgrades to address social distancing, and to help reduce the permanent debt by lowering operating costs to CommonWealth Kitchen's more than fifty food businesses and wholesalers supported on site.
A
Good
afternoon,
everyone
thank
you
for
being
here.
It
is
my
great
honor
to
welcome
you
here
to
to
the
campus
of
commonwealth
kitchen.
My
name
is
on
behalf
of
the
entire
board
of
directors.
I
should
say
my
name
is
laurie
smith
britton
and
I'm
the
chair
of
the
board
of
commonwealth
kitchen.
So
I
just
want
to
thank
you
all
for
being
here
and
give
your
give
you
all
a
round
of
applause
for
all
the
support
you've
provided
to
this
organization
over
many
years.
Some
of
you
so
thank
you
so
much.
A
I
am
especially
honored
to
welcome
our
mayor,
the
honorable
kim
janey,
as
well
as
our
secretary
of
housing
and
economic
development,
mike
nealy
commonwealth
of
massachusetts,
thank
you
for
being
here
and
for
all
you've
done
to
make
this
day
possible.
As
you
know,
board
member
daniel,
strong
walker,
thomas
he's
here
he's
one
of
my
fellow
board
members.
Thank
you,
and,
and
so
again
just
grateful
that
you're
all
here
today.
A
So
I
also
want
to
thank
the
entrepreneurs
who
stuck
with
cwk
for
all
these
years
and
who
really
do
make
the
organization
what
it
is
today.
Thank
you
so
much
so
today
we're
here
to
celebrate
this
wonderful
occasion.
It's
an
important
milestone,
the
purchase
of
a
permanent
home
for
commonwealth
kitchen
right
here
to
my
right.
This
will
be
now.
We
are
we've
been
here
for
several
years,
but
in
short
order
by
the
end
of
this
year
it
will
be
our
home.
A
Our
permanent
home
we've
had
the
privilege
of
being
able
to
have
an
extraordinary
executive
director
who's
negotiated
an
awesome
opportunity
for
this
organization.
So
thank
you
jen
for
that,
and,
of
course
I
want
to
thank
the
commonwealth
of
massachusetts
and
the
city
of
boston
for
what
you've
done
tangibly
financially
to
make
this
day
possible
again.
This
represents
an
extraordinary
extraordinary
moment
for
all
of
us
in
this
city
who
care
about
economic
justice
and
economic
health.
The
economic
health
of
our
neighborhoods
of
the
people
who
live
here
work
here
go
to
school
here.
A
Cwk's
mission
is
more
important
now
than
ever
before,
particularly
as
we
emerge,
hopefully
from
a
global
pandemic
that
has
wreaked
havoc
on
this
industry
right
here
in
the
city,
but
we're
going
to
we're
going
to
fix
that
with
jen's
leadership
and
all
of
you
here
with
us.
Your
support
is
more
critical
to
us,
also
than
now
more
than
ever
before,
and
it's
critical
to
the
future
to
the
current
and
future
success
of
commonwealth
kitchen,
so
bottom
line
we're
deeply
humbled
just
to
be
standing
here
in
this
space.
A
B
I
and
I
will
try
not
to
get
emotional,
but
I
thank
you
for
being
here.
So
I,
unlike
usual,
I'm
gonna,
read
a
script
because
I
was
told
I
had
to
be
on
time.
So
so
I
will
do
that.
So
today
is
an
awesome
and
auspicious
day
after
what
has
been
truly
one
of
the
most
difficult,
grueling
and
exhausting
18
months
of
all
of
our
lives,
and
certainly
in
my
career,
I'm
thrilled
to
say
we're
home,
we're
home.
B
At
the
time
we
were
urban
pioneers.
There
was
not
a
road
map.
There
was
no
time
tested
model
that
we
could
go
grab
from
some
other
community,
the
idea
of
a
shared
kitchen,
the
idea
of
co-working
office
space.
This
was
in
its
infancy
and
what
we
had,
though,
was
an
idea
and
what
we
had
were
amazing
partners
like
the
city
of
boston,
dorchester
bay
and
the
commonwealth
of
massachusetts,
who
believed
that
the
idea
was
possible
and
that
idea
has
led
us
to
some
incredible
statistics
and
just
to
read
a
few
of
them.
B
B
B
That's
opening
over
at
harvard
this
fall
incredible
work.
Every
single
one
of
them
owned
by
person
of
color
we've
helped
product
companies
like
fresh
zen.
Ruby
is
here:
hillside
harvest,
vita,
pura,
linda,
go
spice
wise
mouth
tea,
get
on
store
shelves,
whole
foods,
stop
and
shop,
specialty
food
stores,
one
of
our
companies
beckon
ice
cream
is
now
available
nationally
and
every
single
whole
foods
in
the
country
started
right
here
in
dorchester.
B
We
helped
our
businesses
pre-covered,
get
into
college
and
hospital
accounts.
We
had
products
on
the
menus
at
harvard
university,
boston,
college,
boston,
children's
hospital,
umass
amherst.
We
hope
to
bring
that
back.
It's
not
there
yet,
but
we're
coming
we're
coming
for
you
and
mayor.
We
are
going
to
continue
to
work
on
this
procurement
work
together
because
we
think
we
have
started
to
find
the
way
through,
but
covid
threw
everything
off
course,
except
for
the
belief
in
the
power
and
enduring
spirit
of
our
community.
B
So
we
launched
our
common
table
program,
which
is
our
emergency
meals
effort
in
the
last
year
and
a
half
in
the
past
18
months.
With
support
from
an
incredible
number
of
funders,
including
initial
funding
from
the
city
of
boston
resiliency
fund,
we
invested
1.5
million
dollars
back
into
our
hard
hit
food
business
community.
We
paid
our
food
trucks,
our
caterers,
our
product
companies,
to
feed
our
neighbors
in
need
and
keep
people
working
in
some
of
the
hardest
times
that
our
community
has
ever
seen
absolutely
right.
B
We
provided
over
200
000
meals
and
grocery
boxes
for
an
organization.
That's
never
done
that
before.
That
is
an
unbelievable
amount
of
work.
We
worked
with
20
community
partners,
community
health,
centers
neighborhood
groups.
Here
in
our
neighborhood,
we
worked
at
project
wright
and
others
to
make
sure
that
the
food
was
going
to
those
who
needed
it
most
and
on
the
way
we
supported
over
30
businesses
to
feed
their
neighbors
85
percent
of
them
owned
by
people
of
color.
B
B
B
Lori
smith,
britain,
daniel
strong
or
thomas,
are
both
here,
but
there's
a
group
of
volunteers,
and
they
also
lead
with
such
grace
and
heart,
and
a
laser
focus
on
equity
and
impact
every
day.
The
conversation
we
have
is:
what's
the
impact
we're
having
today
not
did
we
make
enough
money?
Not
what
did
we
do
not?
How
did
we
feel?
What
was
the
impact
you
can
tell
it
in
the
numbers
and
how
we
do
our
work,
and
so
with
that.
B
With
that
in
mind,
it
is
my
privilege
to
be
in
this
moment
to
share
this
with
all
of
you
who
helped
pave
the
way
and
starting,
of
course,
with
our
friends
at
the
city
of
boston.
This
building
would
not
have
happened.
Had
the
city
of
boston
not
said,
we
believe
in
this
work
and
we're
here
to
step
up
at
the
beginning
back
in
2012.
B
Okay,
I'm
incredibly
grateful
sheila
to
you
and
teresa
and
to
beverly
and
all
the
team
incredible
work,
and
thank
you
for
your
leadership
in
being
here
and,
of
course,
nothing
happens
in
the
city
of
boston
without
our
amazing
elected
officials,
I'm
so
thrilled
that
liz
miranda
is
here
liz.
You
know
that
that's
our
girl,
our
state
rep,
is
here
and,
of
course,
our
amazing
mayor,
mayor,
janie,
mayor
janie,
happens
to
also
be
our
city
councilor
or
was
ours,
I'm
not
sure
how
that
works
anymore.
B
I
don't
know
I
don't
know,
I
don't
know,
but
it's
my
honor.
We
know
that
nothing
happens
in
boston
without
our
electeds
and
so
to
have
amazing
electeds
like
like
the
mayor
and
like
representative
miranda
it.
It
allows
us
to
do
the
work
that
we're
doing
here
because
they
work
with
they
work
with
commitment
and
vision,
and
I'm
so
thrilled
to
have
mayor
janie
here
to
continue
her
powerful,
leadershi
legacy
of
leadership,
as
we
all
work
to
build
this
an
equitable
economic
recovery.
It
is
my
incredible
honor
to
present
mayor
janie.
B
C
C
You
know
this
is
truly
a
wonderful
day
here
in
our
community
and
represents
the
village
that
made
it
happen.
I
want
to
recognize
a
few
of
the
public
officials
who
are
in
attendance,
of
course,
our
secretary
mike
connelly,
who
is
here,
and
we
will
hear
from
him
really
proud
of
of
your
partnership
here
on
this
project
and
your
leadership
in
the
city.
There's
been
a
number
of
events
that
we've
been
at
together
now,
and
I'm
really
grateful
for
all
that
you
do
certainly
have
to
recognize
sheila
dillon.
C
Thank
you
so
much
for
all
of
your
work.
This
we
can
give
it
up
for
sheila,
who
has
been
here
from
the
very
beginning,
also
want
to
recognize
carrie
o'brien
from
her
team
at
the
department
of
neighborhood
development.
I
have
to
also
recognize
chief
midori
murakawa,
who
leads
the
office
of
economic
development.
You
can
clap
for
her
as
well.
C
My
sister
in
service,
who
is
over
here
in
her
beautiful
red
liz
miranda,
who
is
such
a
fierce,
advocate
a
fierce
champion
of
these
issues,
issues
around
equity
around
supporting
small
business
around
food
access
and
justice
here
in
this
community.
I'm
so
grateful
to
have
your
partnership.
So
thank
you
for
everything
that
you
do.
C
C
I've
got
to
shout
out
ed
gaskin
is
here
who
leads
up
main
streets
here
for
for
grove
hall.
Dorchester
bay
definitely
have
to
recognize
them,
and
if
folks
don't
know,
you
know,
I'm
a
foodie
and
I
love
food
trucks.
I
love
the
mission
here
and
fresh
food.
A
generation
is
one
of
my
favorite
food
trucks,
so
sis
everything
that
you
do
is
so
incredible,
and
the
fact
that
you
have
started
here
that
you
are
still
local
doing
amazing
work,
I'm
just
so
incredibly
grateful.
C
In
fact,
as
you
have
noted,
75
percent
of
the
businesses
that
you
have
helped
here
are
owned
by
women
and
people
of
color
and
about
half
are
owned
by
people
who
come
from
the
neighborhoods
of
roxbury,
dorchester,
mattapan,
hyde
park
and
jamaica
plain,
and
we
know
that
so
many
of
those
neighborhoods
are
homes
to
people
of
color
here
in
boston,
and
now,
with
this
support
this
investment,
I
don't
even
want
to
call
it
support.
It
is
an
investment.
C
C
We
all
know
that
food
is
a
basic
human
right,
and
this
is
why,
in
my
fy
22
budget,
we
have
allocated
over
a
million
dollars
to
the
office
of
food
access,
and
that
is
an
increase
from
previous
years.
I
welcome
all
to
continue
the
partnership
that
seeks
to
build
food
access
in
our
communities
by
owning
this
space
commonwealth
kitchen
can
expand
their
community
outreach
and
support
systems
and
invest
in
energy
improvements
and
building
upgrades.
C
You
guys
have
been
working
diligently
to
realize
this
vision,
and
now
we
have
seen
all
of
the
ways
that
you
have
helped
folks
start
up
and
and
thrive
here
in
the
city
of
boston.
This
is
not
just
necessary
space
for
a
business
to
grow,
but
you
help
to
nurture
that
growth
through
comprehensive
business
and
technical
assistance
programs.
Your
efforts
to
center
equity
diversity
and
resilience,
especially
through
this
pandemic,
is
so
appreciated.
C
C
Many
thanks
to
the
staff
to
the
board
and
to
all
of
the
community
partners,
certainly
the
investments
that
has
been
made
through
the
partnership
with
the
state
state
electeds
as
well,
and
certainly
the
city
of
boston
and
all
of
the
community
partnerships
that
have
helped
to
make
this
happen,
and
we
look
forward
to
continue
that
partnership
with
you
into
the
future.
Thank
you.
So
much.
B
Everything
from
the
mass
department
ag
resources
for
equipment
through
the
mass
growth
capital
corporation
for
our
small
business,
technical
assistance
work
and
through
the
the
mass
development
in
the
purchase
of
this
building.
Today,
none
of
that
work
would
happen
without
the
incredible
leadership
of
secretary
mike
nealy
from
the
who's,
the
director
of
the
housing
and
economic
development
mike.
D
Thanks
brother,
thank
you.
I
think
jim
was
telling
me
to
be
brief.
So
I'll
be
brief.
This
is
a
great
day.
It
is
great
to
be
here.
Congratulations
to
lori
and
jen.
This
is
such
a
huge
momentous
occasion
great
to
be
with
the
mayor
and
the
rep
and
sheila
and
glenn,
and
so
many
other
important
community
partners.
I
want
to
acknowledge
a
couple
folks
on
my
team.
Under
secretary
ashley
silva
runs
all
of
our
community
development
programs.
D
It's
how
we
really
move
ourselves
forward
and
I
do
in
that
regard.
I
do
want
to
thank
teresa
and
team
at
mass
development
for
stepping
in
because,
under
dan
rivera's
leadership,
there's
been
such
an
effort
to
be
to
be
creative
and
support
great
organizations
and
go
into
the
toolbox
and
figure
out
how
we
can
help
out
so
wonderful
to
have
that
support.
But
this
partnership
is
so
essential.
All
of
us
it's
how
we
move
forward.
It's
how
we
get
things
done.
D
The
second
big
theme,
I
think,
is
impact,
and
let
me
say
this
back:
in
2019
we
had
to
come
up
with
an
economic
development
plan
for
the
state.
Okay,
and
at
that
time
everything
looked
great
right.
We
had
2.9
unemployment,
we
had
rising
incomes,
we
had
a
lot
of
jobs
on
average
right
those
were
average
numbers
and
back
then
we
said
well,
our
minority-owned
businesses,
our
women-owned
businesses,
need
more
help.
D
D
We
made
it
through,
but
the
inequities
that
we
saw
pre-pandemic
are
still
with
us
right
and
we
got
to
fight
that
fight
every
day
and
if
we're
going
to
have
the
kind
of
economic
recovery,
we
want
the
kind
of
growth
we
want
we're
going
to
need
more
entrepreneurship,
we're
going
to
need
more
inclusive
entrepreneurship,
and
we
need
an
environment
where
all
of
our
companies
can
thrive
and
grow
and
create
jobs,
and
that,
at
the
end
of
the
day,
is
why
this
is
so
important.
So
we
look
forward
to
an
ongoing
partnership.
D
B
Much
appreciation
this
building
started
through
a
partnership
between
commonwealth
kitchen
and
our
friends
at
dorchester
bay,
economic
development.
Some
of
you
know
that
that
the
process
of
getting
to
today
you
know
it
was.
It
was
a
little
circuitous
right
perry,
but
I
think,
at
the
end
of
the
day,
we
all
saw
our
eyes
on
the
prize
and
said:
what's
important
is
impact.
What's
important?
Is
this
community
what's
important?
Is
the
businesses
and
the
jobs
and
the
people
that
are
here
and
so
perry?
B
To
your
credit,
I
want
to
thank
you
for
staying
with
us
and
staying
patient
through
all
the
twists
and
turns
to
you
and
your
board
for
continuing
to
believe
in
the
future
of
what
we
can
do
and
I'm
proud
to
say.
I
can
introduce
soon
to
be
my
former
landlord,
the
executive
director
ceo,
I
guess,
of
dorchester
bay,
carrie
newman.
E
Well,
I
don't
want
to
be
the
in
danger
of
being
too
long-winded
being
the
last
person
between
you
and
lunch
and
a
tour
and
all
that
kind
of
thing.
But,
as
john
said,
this
is
really
a
tribute
to
a
partnership
and
a
dream
realized.
You
know
it's
important
to
realize
as
well
that
commonwealth
kitchen
occupies
46
of
the
building
these
figures.
E
I
know
by
heart
for
some
reason,
and
that
means
that
54
percent
of
the
building,
my
math
is
correct-
are
occupied
by
other
businesses
that
have
been
flourishing
here
as
well,
and
it
is
this
ecosystem
that
is
part
of
the
reason
that
this
is
such
a
tremendous
success
for
the
community.
The
housing
over
here
was
part
of
a
big
project.
E
The
hud
choice
neighborhood
in
dorchester
bay,
was
a
leader
in
that,
along
with
uhm
in
quincy
geneva,
and
all
of
this
is
the
result
of
partnerships
and
if
you
look
up
success
story
in
the
dictionary,
I
think
you
might
find
a
picture
of
this
this
building
here
to
see
how
a
partnership
with
well-intentioned
people
and
adequate
resources
can
come
together
to
make
it
to
make
something
really
really
successful
about
it.
I
want
to
just
also
highlight
a
few
folks
that
have
helped
us
and
jen
described
the
path
to
this
moment
as
somewhat
circuitous.
E
All
the
way
through
was
a
tremendous
effort
to
make
things
happen
in
the
right
way
for
everybody,
and
I
also
want
to
thank
our
lenders
at
dorchester
bay,
who
also
work
with
us
to
make
this
day
possible
and
that's
bluehub
capital,
who
played
a
tremendous
role
in
financing
this
all
the
way
through,
even
through
the
challenging
times
when
we
were
trying
to
get
through
the
pandemic
together
and
also
coastal
enterprises
up
in
maine
who
are
active
down
here
as
well.
So
it
was
a
real
success.
E
B
B
This
is
just
a
sampling.
Obviously
these
are
the
ones
who
were
able
to
show
up
today,
but
one
of
them
who
is
was
started
here
when
con.
When
we
did
is
our
friends
at
fresh
regeneration
and
cassandra
coming
up.
I
would
just
say
that
in
many
ways
the
work
that
we
have
been
doing
in
this
last
seven
years
on
my
lord
is
mirrors
our
friends
at
fresh
food
generation.
We
both
started
with
a
big
dream,
not
a
lot
of
experience
and
definitely
not
a
lot
of
money
right,
but
we
kept
working.
B
We
had
our
feet
on
the
ground
and
our
head
in
the
clouds,
an
unwavering
commitment
to
build
the
world
we
want
to
see
and
that
we
need
we
made
mistakes,
but
we
pivoted,
and
we
persevered-
and
I
am
incredibly
proud-
honored
appreciative
of
cassandra
and
jackson
and
the
team
of
fresh
food
generation,
because
what
they
are
is
why
commonwealth
kitchen
exists.
Thank
you,
and
so
I'm
thrilled
to
welcome
cassandra
to
say
a
few
words
and
to
remind
you
that
in
september
on
talbot
ave,
you
can
come
see
their
very
first
brick
and
mortar
restaurant.
F
I
am
so
grateful
to
be
able
to
share
this
moment
with
commonwealth
kitchen,
as
jen
said
we
started
seven
years
ago.
I
was
very
young
and
naive,
but
I
had
the
dream
of
starting
a
food
truck
that
would
increase
access
to
healthy,
affordable,
culturally
relevant
foods,
and
we
would
pay
our
team
a
living
wage
and
we
would
source
our
food
from
local
farms,
and
I
thought
that
this
was
going
to
be
easy.
F
F
I
had
just
graduated
from
grad
school,
so
I
didn't
have
any
savings
and
I
didn't
own
my
own
home,
so
I
had
no
collateral
to
go
out
and
get
a
loan,
not
only
that.
I
didn't
know
at
that
time
that
85
percent
of
food
businesses
fail
in
their
second
year
and
that
it
takes
five
hundred
thousand
dollars
to
a
million
dollars
to
be
able
to
build
out
a
restaurant.
F
So
we
started
with
the
food
truck
in
dudley
and
slowly
grew
from
there
and
commonwealth
kitchen
was
with
us
at
every
step
of
the
way.
Many
of
you
have
used.
Our
catering
services
used
our
food
truck
services
and
I'm
thankful
for
that,
and
I
don't
think
many
people
realize
just
how
much
commonwealth
kitchen
supported
us
and
how
difficult
our
journey
has
been
to
get
to
a
point
today
where
we
can
open
up
a
restaurant,
I'm
not
done
I'll
stop,
but.
F
F
When
we
were
having
a
hard
time,
getting
access
to
capital
and
considered
going
out
of
business,
commonwealth's
kitchen
sat
us
down
met
with
different
people
walked
us
into
different
rooms.
Until
we
got
that
access
to
capital
that
we
needed
not
only
that
I've
spent
at
one
point
in
my
life
12
hours
a
day
in
this
kitchen.
F
So
it
really
is
home
and
we
grew
from
a
team
of
two
people
to
prior
to
the
pandemic,
a
team
of
12
people
right
and
almost
close
to
a
million
dollars
in
sale
and
all
within
a
shared
kitchen,
and
that
would
not
have
been
possible
if
commonwealth,
kitchen,
jen
fagle
the
staff
here.
The
other
businesses
that
we've
worked
with
here,
sweet
teas,
making
me
hungry
did
not
come
together
to
make
it
possible.
F
B
Cassandra
always
amazing,
thank
you
and,
and
one
of
the
one
of
the
hallmarks
of
the
fresh
regeneration
business
that
I
think
speaks
volumes
to
the
the
community.
That's
here
is
they
actually
carry
many
of
the
products
from
the
other
companies
that
are
here
on
their
menu.
So
if
you're
looking
for
desserts
from
fresh
regeneration,
it's
coming
from
sweet
tea's
bakery.
B
So
this
is
how
we
build
strong
networks
and
ecosystems,
and
this
is
what
how
owning
this
building
will
allow
us
to
do
for
the
future
to
create
the
home
here.
That
gives
us
the
base
of
operations
to
continue
to
do
all
this
incredible
work,
not
only
in
this
building,
but
in
this
community
that
we
love,
and
so
I
am
so
thankful
to
all
of
you
for
being
here
mayor.
Thank
you,
sheila.
Thank
you
secretary.
B
Thank
you,
our
friends
at
mass
development,
honestly
like
thank
you
for
believing
in
us
thank
you
for
believing
in
this
community
and
that
pot
that
the
possibility
can
be
real.
So
thank
you.
Let's
all
give
ourselves
one
last
amen
so
for
for,
for
some
of
you,
we
have
I'm
not
even
sure
how
we're
doing
the
gifts,
but
we
have
some
samples
for
people.
B
Anybody
who
would
like
them
some
samples
from
some
of
the
amazing
businesses
that
are
here.
We
have
some
excellent
cupcakes
and
we
are
going
to
take
a
for
those
of
you
who
can
stay
and
want
to
join
us
we're
going
to
be
doing
tours
in
the
building.
So
you
can
get
a
sense
of.
What's
here
heads
up,
you
will
have
to
wear
a
hair
net,
it's
an
excellent
photo,
op
look
or
a
baseball
cap.