By Lissa Guyton
Published: Jan. 8, 2025 at 7:09 PM EST
Read full story and watch video at https://www.13abc.com/2025/01/09/new-kitchen-will-help-tiffin-go-back-its-roots
TIFFIN, Ohio (WTVG) – A new teaching kitchen in Seneca County is set to open this spring and it is about so much more than food. In fact, it is a true community project.
The Tiffin Community Kitchen has a lot of important layers to it, including improving access to local food, cooking classes and workforce training. It is a project that will serve thousands of people every year.
The Tiffin Community Kitchen has been a labor of love. The multi-million dollar project came to life thanks to more than 100 donors.
“There was huge excitement about building this facility and it is bigger and much grander than we ever imagined. It’s exciting to see the community partner with us on implementing this vision,” Rev. Aaron Gerlach from the Old Trinity Episcopal Church said.
The new kitchen space is described as a community center for healthy living and culinary training. It is part of the work of Seneca County Common Ground.
“Seneca County Common Ground is a non-profit that focuses on supporting and developing the local food economy,” Gerlach said.
Gerlach is the rector of Old Trinity Episcopal Church which is the home of the new kitchen. He is also the president of Seneca County Common Ground.
“Our work is focused on reconnecting to our agricultural roots so we do things like a farm market to provide a venue for farmers and customers to connect and community gardens so people can see how food is grown and raised,” Gerlach said.
People will soon have a new way to learn more about getting food from the farm to the table. And there will be a seat at the table for everyone here, from experienced chefs to those who have never cooked before.
“A teaching kitchen is a place for people to learn how to cook at home. You can also make it a place for the community to gather and make relationships,” Gerlach said.
“Giving them skills and the knowledge and the fresh produce to go home and cook is what it is all about,” Emily Riehle, the executive director of Seneca County Common Ground, said. “I’m excited about taking the vision they’ve had since 2019 and making it a reality.”
Reihle said the new space will help expand the mission of connecting local growers to the community through things like cooking classes and workforce training.
“Some classes you’ll have to pay for but a lot of them will be put on for free,” Reihle said.
Those involved said this is a project that will pay dividends for generations to come.
“There’s a Celtic model of Christianity that looks at the church as the heartbeat of a community. This can help that out,” Gerlach said. “We see this as an opportunity to not only break bread on Sundays at church but a way to break bread every day of the week with members of our community.”
The plan is to have a soft opening for the community in April and to have the new kitchen fully operational in May.
The space will also be used for shared meals and people will be able to host parties and events there. There are also culinary camps for kids.
