The sounds of talking drums and Nigerian favorite Fuji Music provided the background music for the Juneteenth groundbreaking ceremony for The Food Studio, Atlanta's first Black-owned, 100% plant-based shared commercial kitchen. Located in the Near Pittsburgh Yards building, the incubator space will help aspiring food entrepreneurs create successful business ventures and provide healthier food options to the community.
That mission began with Urban Oak Initiative, a nonprofit that fights obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases by educating young people about the health benefits of eating more plant-based diets. The organization, formerly called Helping Hands Ministries, was founded in 1997 by Robbie Towns to address basic needs in local churches and communities in Mississippi. That tradition is carried on by his grandson, chef Kevin McGehee, executive director of Urban Oak Initiative and founder of The Food Studio.
“We've never had control over the food system in all the time we've lived in this country, but now we have an opportunity to control the food system and control our outcomes,” McGehee said. “Food is the most important thing to us. It's the only thing that can really impact everything we do mentally, physically, spiritually, so we're excited and humbled that we have that opportunity.”
The studio is located on the former Clark University (now Clark Atlanta University) agricultural school farmland. During his research, Magee discovered that the vegetables grown there were served on trains that black people were unlikely to be able to ride. “They were growing crops that they couldn't eat themselves. They were eating what we put in here.”
The kitchen will join many initiatives and businesses in Atlanta that aim to promote vegan and healthy lifestyles in the Black community, and will house up to 30 small plant-based food entrepreneurs, including some who were selling at the groundbreaking.
“Atlanta has a big vegan community, but it's not necessarily healthy. We do desserts, but we do them in a healthy way because people need a treat,” said Natasha Hickman, co-owner of Vegan's Daughter with her daughter, Nylen.
“I think in our community, having a space for people to talk about the benefits of food means that there are healthy options, especially when we don’t have eating habits. [is good]So I like this space because I can cook food and still have it taste good.”
Maggie was joined at the groundbreaking ceremony by representatives of those who worked hard to make the Food Studio a reality, developers, family members and local residents.
“It's really inspiring, especially on a day like Juneteenth, to see so many African-American businesses doing the work they do and celebrating their freedom and using it for good,” McGee said. “People get inspired when they see something, so we hope this is the first step in what will be a journey or legacy of healthy eating and healthy service.”
