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Where can you find tech startups, senior and youth programming, an authentic Jamaican cafe, and racing turtles — all in one place? The answer is the Prime Produce on W54th Street in Hell’s Kitchen, a multidisciplinary space where creatives, community leaders, educators and entrepreneurs come together to grow a New York City where passion projects and people thrive. 

A sprawling, three-story building that includes a performance space, recording studio, technology library, coding spaces, a beetle sanctuary, rooftop garden and conference rooms, Prime Produce is a membership-based grassroots co-working collective as well as a 501(c)3 nonprofit incubator for many member-led projects such as PreProbono, a fellowship program for underrepresented students interested in going to law school, Emergent Works, an organization providing digital literacy and technical education to justice-impacted communities, Seeds to Soil, an urban ecology collective and GROW Externships, a community committed to creating greater accessibility in environmental science careers. 

For collective members, the shared space fosters collaboration between organizations, and sometimes even new initiatives and projects born out of the relational community, said Jerone Hsu, one of Prime Produce's founding constituents. The collective’s ethos is to take care of its members, organizations and collaborations like a living, breathing thing, he added, referencing the values in Prime Produce Limited’s mission statement: “Love demonstrated through action; not only organically cultivated (like produce), but achieved at the pinnacle of (prime) and simultaneously discovered at the root of (primary) human experience.The nourishment and stewardship of our communities through practices of intentional service.” 

“We’re all on the same team,” said Jerone as he showed us around the collective’s range of multi-use spaces. “A lot of very interesting collaborations come out of being here. What happens when you have a librarian that is helping out at the turtle race? Or a video media artist engaging with someone that they might not otherwise have met on the nonprofit side? We’re all about the relational approach to supporting projects.” 

It’s a collision of collaborations that Jerone didn’t expect when he filed the original nonprofit paperwork for Prime Produce from his Columbia University dorm room in 2007. At that point, Jerone, his brother Percy, and a group of friends were looking for ways to “create opportunities to get people to engage and make tomorrow arguably less shitty,” said Jerone. The first answer? “We were offering whatever we knew how to do — which was mostly throwing parties,” he laughed. 

The group organized open benefits — a turnkey event service to fundraise for a wide variety of organizations. “We’d have a couple hundred people all come out for a huge party, and every organization that participated got 100% of the proceeds from the tickets that were sold in that organization's name,” said Jerone. The model worked so well that the group eventually decided to look for a space of their own, where they could expand their event reach as well as work on new projects together. After breaking ground on the space at W54th Street in 2013 and a long renovation process, they opened their doors in 2018. 

“We had a couple of good years,” said Jerone. Then the pandemic shut down in-person collaboration. Prime Produce prevailed however, maintaining a remote community with initiatives like distributing 1x1 foot garden box plots to members. As New York began to reopen, so too did other new relationships. “Chef Nicola [of the collective’s in-house public restaurant and caterer, Cafe 424] was in our GROW Externships program — that’s how we got to know her and decided to work together,” said Jerone. While some members relocated during the pandemic, new members have also joined. “A lot of the other social-impact co-working spaces had to shutter,” he added, “if you're looking for a co-working space that is social impact focused and cooperatively governed, this is one of the few games left in town.” 

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the collective is busier than ever, hosting everything from semi-regular noodle dinners to comedy shows, senior-focused concerts and yes, turtle races. They hope to grow the garden of community and collaboration that is Prime Produce. “We don’t treat it as an industrial thing,” said Jerone as we walked through a senior-caregiver Rodgers and Hammerstein concert. “We care for this collective like a living thing.” 

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More places on 54th Street

Lost Gem
Cafe-424-2830 Jamaican Cafes Coffee Shops undefined

Cafe 424

It's her first venture in Manhattan and she's had to pick up some new skills along the way too, but hospitality veteran Nicola Campbell is feeling right at home in Hell's Kitchen as she opens brand-new Jamaican eatery Cafe 424 on W54th Street between 9th and 10th Avenue. Currently in soft-launch mode and open from Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 7pm, the team at Cafe 424 are planning a grand opening September 15 to 17, after which they will operate from 8am to 10pm Wednesday through Saturday, serving Jamaican-themed pastries, coffee, lunch and dinner. Nicola, known as “Chef Mom” grew up in Willowdene Estates in the parish of St Catherine, Jamaica, where she learned to cook alongside her grandmother. “I used to be in the kitchen with my grandma all the time, ” said Nicola. “Back then I didn’t love it — it felt like punishment, but as I got older I realized that I had natural talent. ”She moved to New York City in 1999, opening several Caribbean restaurants in Queens and earning a degree from the prestigious Institute of Culinary Education. “I started using the skill sets that I got from my grandmother, ” said Nicola. “I decided to go to culinary school to sharpen those skills, and the rest is history. ” Her professional nickname “came from culinary school and when I was graduated — my kids said, ‘What should we call you now? ’” All of her children have helped with the business through the years, including daughter Zhana Clacken, who works as her partner and technology expert at Cafe 424. After closing one restaurant in Long Island City due to damage from Hurricane Sandy and selling another establishment in Jamaica, Queens in 2016, “I swore that I would never do this again, ” said Nicola. But when she got the chance to collaborate with non-profit co-op Prime Produce, an organization dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs and artists with their multi-use space on W54th Street, Nicola decided to take the leap. “I met these fabulous people from Prime Produce who want to do good in the world, ” said Nicola. “Why wouldn’t I want to be a part of it? ”After signing on as the organization’s in-house concession provider and operator of the public-facing café, the next challenge for Nicola was to build the kind of environment that she hoped would attract regular neighborhood patrons. “We wanted to create a homey, relaxed vibe, ” she said. “We want you to stay — we offer free WiFi so that you can come on down and chill with us. ”Used to commercial kitchens, she was happy to find a convection oven to fit the smaller space, allowing her to develop a full menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner options cooked onsite. “I'm used to a full kitchen, ” said Nicola. “But from experience working in colleges and hotels, restaurants and catering, I've had to pull all those things together. ”Nicola and her team are happy to be able to offer freshly-baked, in-house seasonal pastries, including treats like apple pies, bread pudding and, come holiday time, a rum raisin fruit cake featuring raisins that Nicola has been lovingly tending to and soaking for five years. For lunch and dinner, she’s developed a small, constantly rotating seasonal menu with Jamaican classics like jerk chicken, oxtails, curry goat, seafood and jerk fried rice. Everything is cooked to order and they offer vegan options in their lunch, dinner and dessert menus. The process has allowed Nicola to experiment with Jamaican fusion cuisine, she added. “I try to mix up my Jamaican side and my culinary-training side and bring a little bit of French and a little bit of Italian-style to different dishes — oxtail cooked French-style and combinations like that. ” But when it came to creating the café’s beverage program, Nicola had a lot to learn. “I was challenged because I've never actually done a coffee shop before, ” she said. She got to work researching the coffee brewing process, and landed on using premium Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee for the café’s offerings. “I wanted specifically to stay true to my heritage, and Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is what I was raised on — growing up back home in Jamaica with my grandmother, that's all we used to have, ” she said. “I wanted to go back to that tradition, so I went to a company called Jamrock Coffee to work with them and try different roasts. We’re offering dark roast because that's where the flavors were the most intense. ” Working with head barista Dovi Akouete, Nicola trained herself on the art of brewing, and proudly declares that while “it used to just be coffee to me, I learned so much about the beans and the roasting process and making these drinks that now I really know the difference between a Macchiato and a Cappuccino. ”Nicola is so well-versed that she’s proud to offer fully-customizable drinks (and dishes) based on a customer’s needs. “If you’re hungry or thirsty for something, we’ll make you a drink or dish especially for you, ” she added. “We don’t want to be cookie-cutter and we consider ourselves a boutique, niche café. ” Keeping in the spirit of experimentation, Nicola hopes to implement a private chef’s table tasting menu every Sunday starting in October, featuring a four-course, prix fixe menu perfect for group gatherings and special events. Nicola is excited for the road ahead, and bolstered by the amount of community support already shown to the café. “People are super excited we’re here, ” she said, just as several Hell’s Kitchen residents walked by and shouted “We can’t wait to come by! Welcome! ”. Reception from the local business community has also been warm, added Nicola — they’ve already connected with the owners of Jaz Indian Cuisine and Mamasita. “It’s on our list to circle all of the nearby businesses, ” she added. “It’s all about unity — we can’t do this alone, and that’s our model with Prime Produce too. We are a strong team, not just as a café, but as a community and a co-op. It’s all about team members. ” For now, Chef Mom is focusing on the lead up to their official opening weekend, and taking in the joyful, fast-paced energy of all it entails. “It’s a lovely space, with great people and a great mission, ” she said. “I’ve never operated in Manhattan, and this is a lovely neighborhood, so I was open to taking on the challenge, and as they would say, ‘jumping off the cliff! ’” This story originally appeared on W42ST. nyc as "Enjoy a Flavor of Jamaican Cuisine and Hospitality as Cafe 424 Opens in Hell's Kitchen" in August 2022.

Lost Gem
The Neighborhood Playhouse 1 Schools Dance Studios Studios Dance Non Profit Organizations Founded Before 1930 Historic Site undefined

The Neighborhood Playhouse

The Neighborhood Playhouse is both a great community resource and an old-fashioned reminder of the timelessness of great theater. Virtually invisible from the street, the only clue to its existence is a red, unmarked door and a modest sign. Once inside, however, I discovered that this almost one hundred year old building holds within it a proscenium theater, a full-size dance studio, and plenty of dressing rooms and classrooms. What a fascinating tour I was treated to by Emily Duncan, the admissions administrator, where I learned about their history and mission. The lobby, with its shabby elegance, features photos of famous graduates, as well as scenes from plays over the course of the school's history. The top two floors of the building are devoted to a beautiful dance studio with wood floors and soaring ceilings. A lover of dance, I was particularly moved when Emily announced that I was standing in the former domain of dancer and choreographer, Martha Graham, who taught at the Neighborhood Playhouse alongside actor and teacher, Sanford Meisner. I was also enrapt by Christine Cirker, the librarian, who proudly discussed their vast collection of plays and theatre criticism. Incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the world of theater, she told me that she also teaches classes on script interpretation. Christine went on to explain the playhouse's claim to fame: the Meisner Technique, a method of acting that emphasizes that one should "live truthfully under given imaginary circumstances. " Sanford Meisner developed his famous improvisation-based technique at the Playhouse in the mid-1940s, which continues to train actors to this day. It counts among its list of prominent alumni names: Gregory Peck, Robert Duvall and Steve McQueen; and more recently, it has added to its roster, Allison Janney and Chris Noth. The playhouse trains about one hundred students at any given time, seventy-five first-years and twenty-five second-years who have been invited back as a result of a unanimous faculty vote. According to Emily, graduates have an easier time finding work than most aspiring actors due to their alma mater's extensive network of influential writers, directors, and actors. Much of the faculty is closely involved in the theater world, and as Pamela Moller Kareman, the playhouse's executive director, shared, "It's a big leap to become a professional actor; we want people to know that you can do this with your life. " And from the time that I spent here, it became apparent that the staff at Neighborhood Playhouse is there to guide and support students every step of the way.