Hub nonprofit helps food business grow

Michelle Sedaca

Darnell Adams moves like a force of nature between stainless steel prep tables, massive stoves and deep sinks inside the expansive industrial kitchen at Nuestra Culinary Ventures (NCV).

Adams, a woman of West Indian descent, darts back and forth between her table, where she swiftly chops garlic, and the stove, where olive oil sizzles. Minutes later, she delivers a succulent concoction of shrimp and broccoli into containers. Seasoned simply with lemon, garlic and red pepper flakes, the dish is both aesthetically pleasing and aromatic.

Adams is one of 36 culinary entrepreneurs, or “CEs,” now sharing space at NCV, a “food incubator” operated by Nuestra Community Development Corporation (NCDC), a nonprofit company that offers small business and affordable housing programs in Roxbury. Prospective CEs must attend an informational session and submit an application to join the program, which provides a commercial kitchen, classes, one-on-one counseling and technical assistance. The support is aimed at not only launching local small businesses in the food industry, but also nurturing them and helping them grow.

The approach appears to be working. According to NCDC, over 100 CEs have established their own food businesses — making treats ranging from homemade pickles and barbecue to delectable cookies and fudge sauces — since the kitchen’s inception in 2002.

Taking that step requires a lot of dedication. Adams has been pulling triple duty since 2003 — working a day job, catering and operating her personal chef service, Eat-In Style. The Jamaica Plain resident moved to Boston specifically to join NCV, where she has access to the site’s commercial kitchen for an affordable price of $35 per hour and a $50 monthly membership fee.

Adams became a member last January, and with NCV’s support, she has succeeded in turning her culinary passion into a full-time profession.

“NCV was instrumental in getting me here,” she said.

Oddly enough, Adams never planned to cook. In fact, as a student, she studied biology and earned a master’s degree in education at Harvard University.

“Then one night, sipping Bloody Marys, my friends asked me, ‘Why don’t [you] cook?” she said.

As she speeds around the kitchen, it’s not hard to see why — Adams’ love for food is as plentiful as her repertoire. As she cooks everything from cumin-rubbed steak to pumpkin-spiced chili, her priority is always on emphasizing what she calls “the ingredients’ essence.” Take her baked ziti, for instance.

“Even something like that needs to be made with care,” she said. “The essence of the cheese is there, the essence of the tomatoes is there, and the essence of the parsley is there.”

That love is what keeps Adams not only going, but expanding. On top of juggling her busy schedule as both a personal chef and caterer, she will soon open her own café, in the NonProfit Center on South Street in Boston. A true multitasker, Adams plans to balance all three ventures.

Asked about the possibility of one day establishing her own restaurant, Adams shrugs. She describes her fantasy of a place with casual attire where jeans are as common as the chef chatting with customers. Right now, though, Adams is concentrating on her many current commitments.

Thankfully, Adams and other CEs still have the kitchen to help fulfill those commitments. Not too long ago, NCV’s future was uncertain, as financial constraints nearly forced the project to close in 2006. Fortunately, sufficient funding rescued the vulnerable food incubator.

Jeffrey Walker knows all about NCV’s recent troubles. When he became NCV’s director in July, he inherited a debt of $35,000. But today, the veteran of 20-plus years in the food business glows as he recalls the questions he fielded when he came on board.
“When I first started, people asked me how long I would last. Naturally, that didn’t stop me,” Walker said with a chuckle.

Instead, Walker has gone full steam ahead, reducing NCV’s debt by $24,000 in just three months, thanks to effective management of the group’s billing procedures and an intensified pursuit of corporate sponsorships.

Besides offering space in a commercial kitchen at reasonable prices, NCV also provides technical assistance in areas like marketing and finance. Starting next month, Walker will teach CEs the basics in Catering 101, the kind of class that is crucial for developing entrepreneurs who excel in cooking, but don’t necessarily know business fundamentals.

That boost to participants’ business savvy is one of the reasons that NCDC Executive Director Evelyn Friedman sees NCV as a major boon to the local community. Besides the fact that more than 50 percent of the CEs come from the Boston area, as the culinary businesses grow, they employ local residents, generating more jobs and revenue, she says.

With plenty of opportunities now on her plate, Adams agrees, saying that NCV has had a positive influence on her business. In her eyes, the overwhelming enthusiasm throughout the program is a major contributing factor.

“There’s something about being in a community of like-minded people. The kitchen has all this energy,” she said. “Being in a business by yourself can be gratifying, but it can also be isolating.”

Isolation certainly isn’t a problem at NCV, with a multitude of caterers and bakers from a diverse array of cultures represented in the kitchen. On a given day, the international fare being prepared can range from Brazilian cheese bread to Somalian treats.

Emboldened by the energy of both its participants and also its new leadership, NCV now appears on the brink of expansion — a scenario Walker would welcome with open arms.

“I want us to be so busy that we have to turn down jobs,” he said.

With an upcoming open house slated for Sept. 29 featuring food samples and kitchen demonstrations, NCV might soon achieve that goal.

For more information on Nuestra Culinary Ventures, visit: www.nuestracdc.org/NCVweb.