PLANNING & FEASIBILITY

From 2020-2023, we began exploring the ways that Bohemia Food Hub’s kitchen facility might serve as an asset to area youth. We conducted planning meetings with area schools to design experiential culinary learning opportunities related to workforce training and entrepreneurship for youth in South Lane County. Meetings were held with culinary instructors, business educators and principals from three local and rural high schools to explore potential partnerships. During this time, we hosted several high school students in culinary internship positions with anchor tenants in our kitchen. Furthermore, BFH was invited by the South Lane School District to participate in multiple Career and Technical Education (CTE) visioning sessions involving all area schools.

In 2023, BFH collaborated with culinary instructor Leland Fulton at Cottage Grove High School (CGHS). All 48 of Leland’s culinary students toured BFH’s facilities, gaining exposure to the commercial kitchen and BFH’s food business incubator program. The students were assigned the task, “What would you want to make in Bohemia’s Kitchen?”, and their responses yielded a significant volume of data to inform the continued development of BFH’s youth programming.

YOUTH PROGRAM FUNDED & FORMALLY LAUNCHED!

In 2023, BFH connected with Connected Lane County (CLC), an established county-wide program supporting underserved youth aged 16-24 in Lane County. CLC’s focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and practical, hands-on experience aligns completely with the vision and mission of the BFH. In December 2023, one of BFH’s food truck chefs instructed a group of eight young adults from CLC on preparing a holiday meal within a budget. 

From 2023 to 2024, Brandi Baker Rudicel’s Culinary & Sustainable Foods class at Al Kennedy High School launched “Al Kennedy Foods.” The initiative’s purpose was to develop products from crops grown on their organic school farm for sale in the wholesale market. The students collectively developed and refined their recipe for Morning Muffins, utilizing carrots cultivated in their gardens. One student designed the logo and labels, which the team collaboratively refined. Upon satisfaction with their product, they initiated sales to two local retail outlets. Two particularly motivated student representatives were designated to manage the transactions with the stores, including order fulfillment and invoicing. Students also gained proficiency in using a commercial kitchen, including essential aspects such as sanitation, recipe scaling, and adherence to professional kitchen conduct. BFH hosted 4 cohorts of 8 students over 22 bake sessions for a total of 68 hours in our kitchen.

From 2024-2025, BFH hosted 12 students from Wandering Wolves Forest School for monthly baking sessions in our kitchen. BFH’s Resident Baker, Devin Hinshaw, led the students through the “World of Bread” curriculum providing engaging and interactive hands-on learning to youth, allowing students to learn to cook different dishes from around the globe while being empowered by gaining life and work skills and being educated about nourishing foods. BFH hosted 12 students for a total of 55 hours in our kitchen.

Over the course of three years, Bohemia Food Hub provided programming to over 80 rural youth, totaling nearly 200 hours of instruction within our kitchen facility!

(As we engage in renovation of our kitchen facility and launch our new retail storefront, Bohemia Bakeshop, we have momentarily paused our work with area school groups. We look forward to resuming this work in 2027 upon completion of our renovation, including a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen!) 

CASE STUDY: Youth Entrepreneur, Adriana Olivas, Founder of DAYDREAM BAKERY

Since 2025, BFH has been supporting a precocious young entrepreneur to realize her dream of starting her own Japanese-inspired pastry business, Daydream Bakery. Through Bohemia Food Hub’s Youth Works Program, Adriana has received:

• Personalized Mentorship: Guidance from BFH’s resident baker on professional techniques, recipe development, and industry best practices.
• No Charge Commercial Kitchen Access: Hands-on training in a professional-grade kitchen, allowing Adriana to scale production in a supported environment and free of charge thanks to generous support from our donors.

• Market Testing: BFH hosted weekly pop-up events for Adriana and Daydream Bakery at our storefront, which served as a low-risk testing ground to build a customer base and validate her business concept.

The Outcome:

The launch was a major success, proving positive reception and high market demand for her pastries. Adriana has since secured a permanent, recurring spot to sell her creations weekly as an Anchor Baker at BFH’s new Bohemia BakeShop retail storefront.

This entire process serves as a robust and replicable model, solidifying BFH’s commitment to community economic development. This successful launch of a youth-led culinary business marks a significant milestone for Bohemia Food Hub and establishes a formal, effective, and structured framework for developing future youth entrepreneurship pathways within the local food ecosystem.

TREMENDOUS APPRECIATION TO OUR FUNDING PARTNERS:

• Yarg Foundation
• United Way of Lane County
• Oregon Community Foundation
• Business Oregon
• Lane Community Health Council

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS:

• South Lane School District + Superintendent, Brian McCasline
• Cottage Grove High School + Business Teacher, Ricardo Florez
• Al Kennedy High School + Instructor, Brandi Baker-Rudicel
• Connected Lane County + Resource Navigator, Olivia Goodheart
• Devin Hinshaw, BFH’s 2025 Resident Baker & World of Bread teacher
• Wandering Wolves Forest School