Inside The LEAP Hub, just behind the LEAP Community Store, is a place where vegetables become soup, tomatoes become sauce, and what might have become food waste is instead turned into dinner.‍The Processing Kitchen in The LEAP Hub is now VDACS inspected, and volunteers and interns are working with LEAP Kitchen Manager Jeff Bland to cook minestrone soup (they recently made 50 pints), beet hummus (see recipe below), and fruit leather (that was shared at the All-American City competition).These soups, spreads, and leathers can be purchased on the LEAP Mobile Market (find a schedule here) and at the LEAP Community Store (hours are Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 12-7 pm).

Here's what you'd see in the Processing Kitchen if you took a tour:

• A combi oven that bakes, steams, and even does both at the same time. It's a super efficient workhorse of a machine. (Photo: bottom left.)
• A blast chiller that cools down food extremely quickly, increasing kitchen efficiency and safety. (Photo: bottom right.)
• A Robot Coupe that slices and dices at lightening speed and reduces the need for volunteers to chop hundreds of pounds of vegetables by hand.
• A food processor, Vitamix blender, and vacuum sealer.

All of these tools help LEAP turn pallets of produce into food -- creating an added income stream for farmers and/or LEAP and more accessible local food options for customers.

Volunteer opportunities in the Processing Kitchen are beginning to ramp up as more seasonal food becomes available. Right now, cooking is happening on Wednesdays between 9 am and 3 pm. There are opportunities for small groups (no more than six people) or individuals to cook on Mondays through Fridays from 9 am to 3 pm. Interested in signing up? Fill out this Volunteer Form or email kitchen@leapforlocalfood.org with questions.

"Our big time processing is just getting started," says Jeff.