Bucketts Way Neighbourhood Group (BWNG) have officially opened the Blueprint Training Kitchen in Gloucester.

The project has been in the making for around two years and finally, it has become a reality.

Thanks to grant funding from MidCoast Council’s Stronger Community Grants, Enterprise and Training Company (ETC), as well as, local and community grants, BWNG was able to refurbish an old commercial kitchen in the industrial area of Gloucester, transforming the space into a hands-on training facility.

Trainees from both the community and Gloucester High School are able to work in the kitchen, learning the skills to help achieve accredited certificates in hospitality, while getting paid.

Project manager, Erin Lute said the kitchen not only provides a space for people to learn but also provides meals for the community.

“We hope it will give members of the community a better advantage when entering the workplace by providing hands-on experience, not just classroom learning.”

Trainees will learn food handling, food preparation, knife skills and barista skills under the guidance of experienced staff.

So far the kitchen has created seven new full time equivalent jobs in Gloucester; one full-time supervisor, three part-time staff, one part time trainee, four school-based trainees and additional hours at the BWNG for administration and finances. 

The kitchen is open to the public from Monday to Friday between 6:30am until 2:30pm providing a variety of take-away and dine in food options. It’s also working toward preparing fresh, hot cooked meals that will be delivered to Meals on Wheels customers.

After having worked on the project for so long, Erin is very exciting to see the doors finally open.

“It’s going to be amazing,” she said.

She said that, as per the project name, Blueprint, the project is a start of something. It’s about focusing on upskilling people for the workplace, while providing a service to the community and returning fresh, hot meals to the Meals on Wheels service.

The kitchen is looking to support the community by keeping as much money in town as possible by hiring all local people and purchasing local produce.