The Missouri Department of Agriculture recently announced that they will award funding to the Urban Eats Kitchen Incubator through their Food Insecure Urban Agriculture Matching Grant.

Urban Eats will partner with St. Anthony Food Pantry and other local organizations to create the Urban Eats Healthy Kitchen, where volunteers will prepare and provide fresh meal kits to people in need. The project addresses multiple needs pertaining to food insecurity in the Dutchtown neighborhood:

Providing Access to Quality Foods

The program will bring healthy, ready-to-cook food to people who otherwise can’t get fresh produce and other ingredients due to expense or inaccessibility. Most of Dutchtown qualifies as a food desert—low income residents have limited access to reliable sources of healthy food. With few nearby supermarkets, many of our neighbors can’t get the basic necessities to put together a balanced meal.

Additionally, the Urban Eats Healthy Kitchen will help bring attention to St. Anthony Food Pantry, an invaluable neighborhood resource, but one that not everyone is aware of. The program will help the food pantry to expand its outreach mission which serves residents of the 63111, 63116, and 63118 zip codes.

Reducing Food Waste

Production of the meal kits will use surplus produce and other items from St. Anthony Food Pantry, Find Your Farmer (operating from Urban Eats Kitchen Incubator), and other providers, reducing food waste. Urban Eats can then leverage their expansive commercial kitchen space and network of local culinary professionals to turn these resources into healthy meals for neighbors who don’t have the time, tools, or ability to prepare fresh meals for themselves.

Teaching Healthy Meal Prep

Volunteer chefs from the Original Crusoe’s, Juanita’s Creole Soul Café (located in the Urban Eats Neighborhood FoodHall), and others will also coach neighbors on how to prepare healthy meals on their own. Even when given access to better foods, a lot of people simply don’t have the experience or know-how to turn those foods into a meal. Volunteers will help impart that knowledge, leading to healthier and more affordable options for neighbors in need. As the folks at St. Anthony put it, they will “teach a man to fish.”

We’re very excited for this endeavor to come to the Dutchtown neighborhood! Partnering long-standing Dutchtown businesses, new neighborhood enterprises, and a crucial neighborhood resource to serve our neighbors in need is the kind of synergy we love to see. The project has strong community support from the Dutchtown Community Improvement District, DT2 • Downtown Dutchtown, and 25th Ward Alderman Shane Cohn. We’re proud to see Dutchtown businesses and organizations committing to missions of community service within the neighborhood exemplified by the Urban Eats Healthy Kitchen.

Beginning in November, neighbors will be working together under a new committee format for community-led improvement in Dutchtown. These committees will be meeting once a month, with each committee focusing on one of five areas:

• Promotion
• Design
• Economic Vitality
• Organization (in conjunction with the UrbanMain Steering Committee)
• Safe Clean & Green

These committees have been established via a joint effort between Downtown Dutchtown, the Dutchtown Community Improvement District, and the UrbanMain Initiative. While certain projects will focus on the Dutchtown CID footprint or the UrbanMain target area, we encourage residents and business owners from across the neighborhood to join us.

Learn more about each committee and sign up here. 

All committees meet at 6pm at Dutchtown’s Neighborhood Innovation Center, located at 3207 Meramec. If you prefer to connect virtually, contact us and we can provide a video link. The committee meeting schedule is below.

• Design Committee: First Thursday of the month
• Economic Vitality Committee: Second Tuesday of the month
• Promotion Committee: Second Thursday of the Month
• Organization Committee: Third Tuesday of the month
• Safe Clean & Green Committee: Third Thursday of the month

Dutchtown needs you! Are you ready to join us? Sign up for a committee here! Still need more info? Get in touch and we’ll help you find the right committee for your interests.

Are meetings not your thing? That’s okay too—we have plenty of other volunteer opportunities in the neighborhood! Contact us to let us know what kind of projects or activities you’d like to work on. 

Join the Dutchtown Community Improvement District on 10/10 to help plant 1,000 tulip and daffodil bulbs throughout Dutchtown!

Pick up your free bulbs on Saturday morning at the Neighborhood Innovation Center. Then plant them in parks, tree lawns, or other publicly visible spaces within Dutchtown. The bulbs must be planted on Saturday. We’ll have some gardening tools available if you need to borrow them.

One spot you might consider planting is in Marquette Park. The park (along with several other parks in the City) will be hosting Ten Ten 2020 Day to celebrate the City’s parks and the beginning of fall. Plant your bulbs then have a picnic, join a free yoga class, or just hang out and enjoy Marquette Park.

Join DT2 • Downtown Dutchtown at the Neighborhood Innovation Center on Saturday, September 26th for the next Dutchtown Movie Night!

This month we’ll be showing 42, the story of Jackie Robinson as portrayed by Chadwick Boseman. This is an outdoor event, and we’ll project the movie on the side of the building next door. Bring a chair and set yourself up in the parking lot. The movie will start at dark.

If you’re hungry, head a couple doors down to the Urban Eats Neighborhood FoodHall and grab some Juanita’s Creole Soul Cafe, Pies and Surprise, or Tacos La Jefa. They’ll be open until 7:30pm. You’re also welcome to bring your own snacks and drinks.

Let us know you’re coming on the Facebook event page, and make sure to share with your friends and neighbors!

The movie is rated PG-13. Some content may not be suitable for all audiences. Social distancing measures will be in place and masks are required when away from your seat.

The next DT2 After Hours is at Diana’s Boutique on Wednesday, September 16th beginning at 5:30pm. DT2 hosts a monthly (pandemic-permitting) happy hour that focuses on Dutchtown businesses.

Diana’s Boutique just recently relocated to 3316 Meramec Street from a location a little further east on Meramec. Come by to check out the new, larger space and enjoy beer, wine, and soft drinks on the house! Diana’s will also be offering 25% off purchases during After Hours.

Meet Diana

Diana Quezada, the owner of Diana’s Boutique, sits on the UrbanMain Steering Committee that is working to plan the future of Downtown Dutchtown. Diana and her family came to America from Mexico City 15 years ago.

“I wanted to open my retail store because it’s been my dream since I was little to be involved with fashion,” says Diana. She opened her shop four years ago and is excited about her new, bigger location. Diana prides herself on carrying a diverse selection of clothing in all colors, sizes, and styles, with unique items you won’t find anywhere else.

“I love the area and people around here. I dream and I would love to grow my business and inspire other people and offer jobs in the future.” Away from the shop, Diana likes to spend time with her family and travel, visiting beaches, hiking, and getting to know new places.

After Hours + UrbanMain

In addition to the regular After Hours festivities, Downtown Dutchtown is also hosting representatives from Missouri Main Street Connection. Main Street is working with DT2, the Dutchtown CID, and other neighborhood stakeholders on the UrbanMain initiative in Downtown Dutchtown.

The Main Street representatives will be at the Neighborhood Innovation Center, just a block down the street from Diana’s, and they’re looking for feedback from the neighbors. Stop by and tell them what you’d like to see for the future of Downtown Dutchtown. If you can’t attend Wednesday evening, there are three other input sessions during the week.

Social Distancing: Spread Out on Meramec

While we hope to see a lot of you on Wednesday, we also want to make sure we’re taking precautions to protect your health during the pandemic. We’re asking that you take some time to stroll down Meramec to help maintain social distancing and to see what else is going on in Downtown Dutchtown.

Neighborhood Innovation Center

Along with our guests from Missouri Main Street, the NIC will also have representatives from DT2 and other neighborhood organizations to share community resources (and more drinks). After you share your input on the UrbanMain program, come see what else your Dutchtown neighborhood organizations have been up to.

Urban Eats Neighborhood FoodHall

Between Diana’s and the NIC, you can stop into the Urban Eats Neighborhood FoodHall to grab a bite to eat. Visit Juanita’s Creole Soul Cafe for dinner or Pies and Surprise for a sweet treat.

The Missouri UrbanMain Pilot Program is a joint effort between Downtown Dutchtown (DT2), the City of St. Louis, the Missouri Department of Economic Development, and Missouri Main Street Connection.