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Paul’s Place, Groundwork Kitchen is the home of a new restaurant and culinary training school. The project was located on an under-used parking lot at the pivotal intersection of Washington Blvd and West Cross Street in Pigtown.

The new building serves to infill the void and provide new food options to the community as well as job training. Groundwork’s restaurant along with the recently opened Milk & Honey Market and successful Suspended Brewing are creating a new culinary hot spot in a relative food desert. Groundwork will offer sit down dining, carry-out and carry-out, with the majority of the food created by students in the training program.

The project was financed with a combination of private and public grant funds, philanthropy, New Market Tax Credit equity and conventional debt. The development received funding from the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation as well as the Neighborhood Improvement Impact Fund, the Abell Foundation, T. Rowe Price Foundation, Enterprise Community Loan Fund and a State of Maryland bond bill grant. The fiscal estimate by Sage Policy Group, Inc. predicted 122 jobs and $12.2 million generated by Groundwork Kitchen in its first year. In addition to creating employment opportunities and providing quality meals, the facility creates a new gateway to Pigtown Main Street, encouraging economic activity and investment along Washington Boulevard.

Development of Groundwork Kitchen met and exceeded IgCC sustainability standards. A rooftop garden will supply fresh herbs and some hydroponic gardening to the restaurant. A storm water pond for collecting rain runoff is a design feature along with a living wall of greenery along Cross Street.

Client

Paul's Place

Location

Baltimore, Maryland

Size

14,100 SF

Program

New facility for culinary arts training and restaurant

Completion

2021

Sector

Dining + Leisure

Educational + Cultural

Team

Internal Team: Charles Alexander, Patrycja Hollis, Katherine LePage

Design Team: Whiting Turner Contracting Company (Contractor), Thomas Foulkes, LLC (MEP), Carney Engineering (Structural), Studio Partnership (Interior Design) / Carey Restaurant Shop (Food Service) / Acoustical Design Collborative, Ltd. (AV)

Experienced professionals hold classes in Groundwork’s classroom and test kitchen. Industry standard equipment is provided for all students, as are locker, lounge, and shower facilities. The commercial kitchen is equipped for catering, carry-out, and servicing restaurant fare.