Drawing on his experiences as an entrepreneur in the restaurant business, Mike has expanded DC Central Kitchen’s revenue generating social enterprise catering to include locally-sourced, scratched-cooked meal service at ten DC schools and Healthy Corners, which delivers fresh fruits and vegetables to 68 corner stores in DC’s food deserts. Since 2010, DC Central Kitchen’s social enterprises have generated over $26 million and social enterprise now accounts for roughly 65% of DCCK’s total operating budget. Because of these and DCCK’s innovative social service programs, the Kitchen now employs over 150 people, approximately 40% of whom are graduates of DCCK’s Culinary Job Training Program.
The DC Chamber of Commerce awarded DC Central Kitchen its 2012 Community Impact Award. DCCK’s focus on procuring local produce for its social enterprise businesses garnered a Mayor’s Environmental Excellence Award and the Washington Business Journal’s Green Business Award for Innovation. Mike is a Chair Emeritus of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington and a Board Member for The Common Market in Philadelphia.
Food Tank recently had the opportunity to speak with with Mike Curtin, CEO of DC Central Kitchen, who was one of the speakers at the 2015 Food Tank Summit.
