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Everything Broad Ripple HomearrowRandom Ripplings Homearrow2020 01 16arrowColumn

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Foundation Coffee Company - by Mario Morone
by Mario Morone
posted: Jan. 16, 2020

Foundation Coffee Company serves a blend of coffee, teas, lunch items, and house-made pastries. The shop opened November 25, 2019, in front of the historic Marcy Village Apartments at 4565 Marcy Lane. The coffee shop is a social enterprise of local hunger-fighting nonprofit The Patachou Foundation and all proceeds pour directly into their mission.
Foundation Coffee Company on 46th
Foundation Coffee Company on 46th
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Gyalene Torres, the coffee company's manager, said, "We have a simple menu. Espresso drinks, a special house blend by Hubbard & Cravens, and pastries made daily by Chef Twinkle."
Foundation Coffee Company also serves light lunch fare including panini sandwiches, vegan black bean soup, and a "Farmer Kate Salad" named after the organization's in-house farmer.
Kate Franzman, The Patachou Foundation's communications director and farm manager, said, "This coffee shop comes from the same DNA as the Patachou restaurant group, but we're run by the foundation as an alternative revenue stream." The foundation's mission is to provide access, opportunity, and equity through food by providing scratch-made meals after school to food-insecure children at partner schools (all eight schools are located in certified USDA food deserts) and community centers along with hands-on educational opportunities for the youth.
The foundation's mission goes beyond supplying students with a healthy plate of food. The Patachou Foundation volunteers and staff sit down with kids to share the meal and build relationships during their shifts. "We create a mealtime atmosphere for kids that not only provides food security but also allows them to decompress from the school day," says Executive Director Matthew Feltrop. "Kids get the benefit of seeing a grownup modeling positive mealtime behavior, and it can mean so much to them just to have someone ask how their day is going."
For Feltrop, The Patachou Foundation's mission is also a personal one. "When I was growing up, I lived in a single-parent household, knowing it was really hard for my mom to get dinner on the table for us working two or three jobs," he said. "I understand the fact that food has so much power in a person's life and it affects outcomes."
The Patachou Foundation recently completed a capital campaign to open a state-of-the-art production and teaching kitchen for the 2,000 weekly meals. This multi-purpose facility also provides educational programming and office space for the Patachou Foundation as the for-profit coffee shop's revenue will further its mission.
"Our kitchen is on the other side of this building. We serve nearly 2,000 meals each week and also during school and summer breaks. When school is in session, kids are getting free breakfast and lunch, and we're doing our part to make sure kids don't go to bed hungry." Franzman explained.
Her career with the Patachou Foundation and Patachou Inc. involves dual roles, managing communications for The Patachou Foundation and the urban farms at Public Greens, (an urban kitchen that benefits The Patachou Foundation) with locations in Broad Ripple (900 East 64th Street) and the Fashion Mall (8702 Keystone Crossing).
Franzman has plans to expand opportunities for youth the foundation serves by building an education-focused urban farm at the Marcy Village location. "We want to show kids where their food comes from and also teach them how to grow food for themselves and their families," she says. In the summer of 2020, the foundation will launch the Food Fellowship, a program for high school students in culinary, agriculture, or entrepreneurship career tracks at Arsenal Tech and George Washington High Schools. Students will have a paid work placement at Foundation Coffee Company, on the urban farm, and in the foundation's production kitchen.
"It's a natural progression for our organization since we currently work with elementary and middle school students," said Franzman. "We recognize that high schoolers are at a critical point in their lives, and food can be a powerful tool." Food Fellows will be trained in hospitality skills, urban farming, and financial literacy, and credentialed in food safety, making them eligible to enter the food or hospitality industry immediately following graduation. The foundation is currently recruiting for this program.
Foundation Coffee Company's hours percolate Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Their phone number is (317) 932-3737.
More info including menu and e-gift cards are at:
The Patachou Foundation's mission and more, including volunteer opportunities:
The Foundation Coffee Company and The Patachou Foundation are educating and training local students by providing them economic food for thought in new careers. That is something worth giving thanks for this approaching holiday season.
(L to R) Rin Earlywine, Gyalene Torres, Matthew Feltrop, Twinkle VanWinkle, and Shewanna Jackson at the Foundation Coffee Company.
(L to R) Rin Earlywine, Gyalene Torres, Matthew Feltrop, Twinkle VanWinkle, and Shewanna Jackson at the Foundation Coffee Company.
image courtesy of Mario Morone
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Kate Franzman's Farmer Kate salad is available at the Foundation Coffee Company.
Kate Franzman's Farmer Kate salad is available at the Foundation Coffee Company.
image courtesy of Mario Morone
Quan





mario@broadripplegazette.com
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