Stepping into Food Entrepreneurship: Brainfood Homegrown at Union Market

What D.C. activities did you get into over the weekend? Have a picnic at the tidal basin? Stroll through the drum circle at Malcolm X Park? Visit a museum on the national mall? While you were enjoying the gorgeous spring weather and all the unique outings D.C. has to offer on Saturday and Sunday, you may not have even realized that Brainfood was up to some exciting D.C. adventures of our own. On Saturday May 2nd, Brainfood Homegrown opened its very own market stand in the ever-tantalizing and delicious Union Market in Northeast D.C.

Brainfood Homegrown is our brand new, youth-led food venture that's equal parts fresh food and locally-sourced talent. We’re offering customers high-quality produce, healthy homemade snacks, and meal inspirations through both a CSA model, where you can purchase 6 weeks of seasonal produce, and a storefront model where customers can drop in at our stand to buy produce and healthy snacks a la carte anytime on the weekends. 

This weekend’s “soft opening” was a chance for our Homegrown chef, Brainfood graduate Francisco Rivera, to test the waters with a few recipes and get us oriented to the new space. We had tangy barbeque kale chips as well as some fresh local greens for sale, and we got the market stand set up and ready for action.

We’re excited to continue growing in this space and, over time, offering a wider variety of homemade healthy snacks, sustainably-grown produce, and cooking inspiration to D.C. residents, while providing a launching pad for Brainfood graduates who want to build professional skills and connect with the city's growing food community. Come and find us at Union Market on Saturdays and Sundays between 11am and 8pm. We’d love your feedback on our recipes and produce, and we want you to meet our awesome Brainfood chef, Francisco! Plus, all profits generated by Brainfood Homegrown will fund Brainfood youth programs. It’s really a win - win - win situation.