WASHINGTON — A nonprofit culinary training program being offered by Service Workers Training & Education Partnership has moved into the former site of Silver Spring’s Progress Place.
Washington Property Company has leased the building’s commercial kitchen space to the nonprofit, operated by Local 23 of the international labor union UNITE HERE, in partnership with several food service employers including Aramark, Sodexo and Compass Group.
The classes are free to qualifying Local 23 members.
The program provides culinary training opportunities to help workers learn skills to advance their careers, in many cases to get jobs with the employers that are supporting the program, according to STEP.
Washington Property Company has also leased space in the building to 411 Art Associates, a professional artists group.
The building at 8210 Colonial Lane was previously home to Shepherd’s Table and Interfaith Work’s Community Vision, providing services and housing to low-income and homeless residents in Montgomery County.
Progress Place’s new home, two blocks away at 8106 Georgia Avenue, was built by Washington Property Company and opened in December. The building includes a commercial kitchen, medical facilities, a cold weather homeless shelter and long-term housing.
The Progress Place building eventually will be razed to make room for a high-rise apartment building, but Washington Property Company doesn’t expect that to happen for several years.
