Connecting Communities to Land, Food, and Opportunity
In 2016, at the pinnacle of my profession, I found myself uninspired and falling out of love with the career (see writer profile in footer ) in which I had invested my heart and soul over the last 20 years. While I was profiting from the notoriety Greater Sacramento’s farm-to-fork moniker had bestowed, I knew many others were being left out — unable to access, afford, or benefit from the abundance and newfound visibility of our region.
When I was approached to write a regular column for edible Sacramento featuring non-profits, I knew I needed to tell the stories of people and organizations throughout the valley who work every day to change the inequalities built into our regional food system, to encourage readers to support their work. It seemed only logical to start with my personal favorite, Alchemist Community Development Corp. (CDC).
The Roots of a Movement
Established in 2004 by three University of California, Davis graduate students, Alchemist was founded on the principles of social justice, equity, and a belief that all residents should have a voice in the development and preservation of their own unique and diverse communities. Alchemist’s first outreach program was the operation of urban farm stands throughout underserved regions of Sacramento, providing residents with weekly access to affordable, seasonal, local produce.
Another early project, Corner Store Conversions, involved a partnership with convenience stores aimed at expanding their inventories to include healthy and nutritious food options in addition to the usual abundance of candy, sodas, and processed foods. In conjunction with this program, Alchemist received funding to hire neighborhood residents to serve as healthy eating community ambassadors. These ambassadors offered health resources, provided nutrition education, and hosted cooking demonstrations for store customers.
These efforts were the catalyst for one of Alchemist’s ongoing core initiatives, a collaboration with farmers’ market operators to allow recipients of CalFresh, the state’s implementation of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to use their benefits to purchase food at farmers’ markets throughout Sacramento and Yolo counties. Today, Alchemist partners with nine local farmers’ markets, and in 2021 more than $800,000 in CalFresh benefits were spent at them. At its most successful market, the Florin Sears Store Certified Farmers’ Market, recipients purchased more than $390,000 worth of healthy, locally grown produce and bespoke food last year.
Building the Heart of a Community
In 2019, Alchemist CDC launched Alchemist Kitchen, a business training and food incubator program aimed at empowering and educating aspiring food professionals from underserved communities. Operating out of a shared-use commercial kitchen in North Sacramento, Alchemist Kitchen has enabled the creation of a supportive entrepreneurial food community while providing new businesses with the resources, facilities, and mentorship needed to start and grow their dreams.
In its first year, Alchemist Kitchen graduated seven start-up food businesses that earned a combined total revenue of just over $27,000 in 2020. Last year, the kitchen added seven more graduates to its roster and saw total alumni earnings rise to more than $130,000 total in 2021. Program graduates include such Sacramento businesses as One Love Toffee, Jazz’s Saucy Sauce, and The Burnt Skillet, a plant-based, vegan, soul-food, pop-up restaurant and caterer.
Building on these successes, Alchemist plans to break ground in 2023 on its most ambitious endeavor yet: Alchemist Public Market. This $6.7-million project located on Richards Boulevard will serve as a new and improved commercial kitchen space for Alchemist Kitchen’s incubator program, while also providing entrepreneurs with on-site retail spaces and a food court in which to launch their businesses. The market also will offer residents of the rapidly growing River District job opportunities; a community center; a store with grocery staples such as milk, bread, and eggs; and exciting new options for coffee, lunch, and after-work libations. According to the organization’s executive director, Sam Greenlee, the goal is for Alchemist Public Market to be the “heart of the community.”
As Alchemist CDC rapidly approaches its 20th anniversary, Greenlee and the dedicated team show no signs of slowing down. They continue to help lead our region into a future that includes an enhanced quality of life for all residents through community empowerment and inclusion, a deliberate investment of much-needed resources, and increased access to all the abundance our farm-to-fork capital has to offer.
Want to know how you can help Alchemist CDC with its efforts?
Volunteer!
Alchemist CDC needs friendly, outgoing volunteers to work with Farmers’ Market Outreach staff in managing and facilitating the CalFresh benefits booth at markets. To get involved, email Charlie@alchemistcdc.org.
Give!
I will be donating my earnings writing for edible Sacramento to each nonprofit I profile in this column. Let’s show Alchemist Community Development Corp. that edible Sacramento* readers are the most generous members of our food community. Join me in supporting this exciting new chapter in the Alchemist story by visiting Alchemistpublicmarket.com and donating.
*Edible Sacramento will match Shannin Stein’s donation for each issue’s “A Generous Helping” column. Please consider joining us and donating to these great local organizations.
