Entrepreneur Natasha Wainwright Expands Baltimore’s Only Black-Owned Commercial Kitchen and Cafe
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Posted By: Kennedy Williams on June 09, 2021 Natasha Wainwright, CEO and founder of Natasha’s Just Brittle, is expanding the city of Baltimore’s first and only Black-owned culinary hub and commercial kitchen. She has affectionally named it B’More with Pride Commercial Kitchen and Cafe. “My legacy, B’More with Pride, is to serve the community, families, and Baltimore at large. I always want to be more, help more, and uplift more. The pandemic forced me to get still and think out of the box. My foray into culinary was sweet treats with Natasha’s Just Brittle. Today, a new business model includes mentoring artisans, entrepreneurs, and collaborating. My latest offering is the expansion of B’More with Pride Commercial Kitchen and Cafe featuring indoor dining for 15 people – three restaurants fused into one with tasty offerings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with an eclectic menu featuring soul, American cuisine, and the best desserts ever. We are excited and taking reservations for the grand opening on June 24,” says Natasha. The pandemic forced her to shut down the cafe, take a moment to breathe, brainstorm and pivot. COVID-19 was bittersweet for all. “We lost family, customers, community members, and so forth. After 11 years of business, I had to rely on faith, the life lessons from my grandmother to curate something better for Baltimore. Everything I am is because of B’more, the support of the city, parents, and people. I went from being bullied, contemplated suicide as a teen, to becoming a change agent as a daycare owner, to now an entrepreneur,” cries Natasha. B’More with Pride Commercial Kitchen and Cafe is a culinary hub and commercial kitchen that caters to anyone in the food industry that needs to prepare, cook, and sell their culinary offering. The cafe will also curate dining experiences, curbside delivery, catering, and events for patrons. Natasha is the recipient of numerous business grants totaling approximately $60K; and presented and sold out her confections on QVC. “Although we were sold-out of brittle on QVC, I did not have space or staff to manufacture the volume of handcrafted brittles, and that is why I opened B’More Made with Pride Commercial Kitchen to support myself and fellow artisans,” she says. Natasha previously founded and ran an eco-friendly daycare, Progress Place Learning Center (PPLC). Her Natasha’s Just Brittle opened in summer 2009 as part of a business fundamentals learning project for the children at her daycare. PPLC Sweet Treats, the daycare’s made-to-order sweet shop, sold over $500 in confections that summer. The handmade brittle was the most popular item and now offers over 40 flavors using an all-natural base of a mixture of brown and white sugar, butter, sea salt, and agave. “B’More with Pride Commercial Kitchen and Cafe is my heartbeat. A sweet haven allowed a former daycare owner to dream big just by listening to the life lessons from her ancestors and community. Give back to Baltimore and let God take care of everything else. That is my mantra, real simple but sweet like Natasha’s Just Brittle. I am inviting everyone to represent Baltimore and come to the grand opening expansion of B’More with Pride Commercial Kitchen and Cafe,” beams Natasha. To learn more about Natasha’s Just Brittle, B’More with Pride Commercial Kitchen and Cafe, visit her website at JustBrittlez.com or visit the physical location at 6615 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21214. Follow Natasha’s Just Brittle on social media: Instagram – @NatashasBrittle Facebook – @NatashasJustBrittle Twitter – @NatashasBrittle If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Kennedy Williams
From Loganville, GA Spelman College class of 2020 Member Since July 2016 |
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