Breaking barriers in Brownsville
Melting Pot USA’s mission to empower a disenfranchised community
In Brooklyn, New York City, the community of Brownsville faces significant challenges, grappling with alarming rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, unemployment, crime, shootings and a high number of incarcerated young men.
Claus founded Melting Pot USA in 2015, after extensive discussions with various community members. Their mission: to establish the Brownsville Culinary Community Center (BCCC) with the following goals:
Provide culinary education and training programs
Generate job placement and vocational skills support
Deliver health and nutrition workshops
Facilitate entrepreneurial development and mentoring
Foster community building and social support
The BCCC has gone on to garner substantial support from high profile donors like The Robin Hood Foundation and Stone Barns Center, adapting its initiatives over the years to address the ever-evolving needs of the community and the available resources. It’s evolved to become a thriving, self-sustaining and agile project able to adapt to the new social challenges that arise.
“Now, it’s nothing but white males dominating the industry, so you don’t really see people like us. When you do, we’re cleaning the bathroom or washing dishes, but BCCC opened a door for us to go in and show them that we can do the same thing that you’re doing. And we can do it better.”
Edgar Phillips
Alumnus, Brownsville Culinary Community Center
Empowering lives through culinary excellence in figures
50 students completed a 40-week cooking course between 2017 and 2020
BCCC transformed into emergency kitchen during Covid 19
2,000 meals were served every day by former students to frontline workers and vulnerable community members
Brownsville’s first sit-down eatery in 50 years was subsequently established by BCCC
A diabetes, obesity and wellness program has been co-founded with Novo Nordisk