DC Central Kitchen

DC Central Kitchen is the food service provider for 30 schools in Washington, DC. We source ingredients from more than 30 local family farms and every meal is scratch-cooked from recipes designed by our expert team of chefs and dietitians. We fight hunger differently by providing the high-quality nutrition kids relying on school meals need to learn and grow while sustaining meaningful, living-wage careers for adults who have completed our Culinary Job Training program and overcome barriers to employment.

In addition to providing meals, we offer engaging cooking demonstrations, taste tests, and nutrition education lessons for the students and staff at the schools we serve.

In addition to serving high-quality beverages & fresh fare featuring locally sourced ingredients, our social enterprise cafes provide on-the-job training to youth and adults facing barriers to employment. Proceeds from our cafes support living-wage jobs and our work to fight hunger differently here in DC. As of 2025, there are three DC Central Kitchen locations:

Marianne’s by DC Central Kitchen at the MLK Jr. Public Library (901 G St NW)

DC Central Kitchen Cafe at THEARC (1901 Mississippi Ave SE, East Building)

DC Central Kitchen Cafe at the Klein Center for Jobs & Justice (2121 First St SW)

Every day, with the help of dedicated volunteers, DC Central Kitchen prepares up to 6,000 healthy meals for our community. We partner with local farmers and food recovery allies to provide nutritious, scratch-cooked meals with care. The majority of our meals are loaded on to our fleet of more than 30 trucks and delivered to shelters, nonprofits, and youth programs. We also provide home-delivered meals to seniors and veterans, stock dozens of school-based food pantries, and supply nutritious groceries to several front-line partners.

Healthy Corners is a pioneering venture that is sustainably expanding healthy food access in DC neighborhoods. We deliver produce to corner stores in DC’s low-income communities, offering fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables to store owners at wholesale prices and in smaller quantities than a conventional distributor.

Our partner stores then sell the produce at below-market prices, making it an affordable and accessible option for the consumer. This venture is made possible through a mix of earned revenue, philanthropic support, and a significant partnership with DC Health.

Healthy Corners has demonstrated significant demand in low-income communities for our fresh, affordable food deliveries to corner stores. We regularly offer new products that encourage healthy eating, actively increase our on-the-go product offerings, and work to support local DMV farmers in all seasons. 

The program also provides stores with marketing support, technical assistance, and nutrition training. We facilitate a Store Owner Community of Practice for stores to learn and share best practices as they work with the program to expand their capacity for healthier products and meet the needs of their community. In addition, DC Central Kitchen hosts weekly events for customers at or near corner stores that include cooking demonstrations and community partners.  

The Healthy Corners Shopper App is a free, robust tool for new and existing customers where they can view produce availability and benefits by location, engage with delicious recipes, and explore community resources at their fingertips!