Alchemist at a Glance

Alchemist Kitchen

Our Alchemist Kitchen program trains, equips, and empowers aspiring, under-resourced food entrepreneurs. The program consists of two phases:

Alchemist Microenterprise Academy (AMA) – a 12-week business training course that teaches the fundamentals of starting and running a successful food business.
Alchemist Kitchen Incubator Program – open to graduates of AMA, it provides personalized one-on-one technical assistance, mentorship, connections to markets, and low-cost kitchen access.

Neighborhood Empowerment

We help transform vacant parcels of land into vibrant, neighborhood amenities (such as public gardens and community gathering spaces) through direct community engagement, design, and hands-on participation. Our land-based projects include Oak Park Sol Community Garden, Oak Park Art Garden, Pansy Community Garden Park, and Mirasol Village Community Garden.

CalFresh at Farmers’ Markets

We help make local farmers’ markets accessible for everyone by operating an EBT machine and scrip system that allows low-income households to shop with local producers. We also facilitate the Market Match (MM) incentive for the region. When a customer spends their EBT benefits at participating farmers’ markets and farm stands, they receive extra MM funds to buy fresh produce, expanding their purchasing power at farmers’ markets and increasing the affordability of fresh, local food.