Last Sunday Taproot invited the Lopez community to an open house in our prep kitchen. We felt like it was a smashing success -- an enjoyable, informative, and belly-filling afternoon had by all. Jean, Randall, Jim, and Staci walked many folks through our proposed cook room space, detailing the work Taproot has completed over the years and our aspirations going forward. Our dynamic kitchen managers, Tony and Sam, met with potential users while Laurie talked about our upcoming mentoring program.

• Taproot has installed a walk-in refrigerator and, with the help of Ag Guild, are about to turn on a new commercial walk-in freezer. We also installed a backup generator for when the power goes out so everyone's food continues to stay cold.
• Grants and donations have enabled us to invest in a wide range of processing equipment, food preservation equipment, and the ability to hire staff to support the operations of the kitchen.
• A grant is also funding a mentoring program to encourage the research and development of value-added foods. We’ll be offering stipends and support for individuals and businesses.
• Our cook room project, fully equipped with a gas range and convection oven, is awaiting approval from the SJC permitting division. This addition expands our opportunities for both commercial and home use plus will offer a LOT of additional dry food storage capacity.