Hot Bread Kitchen gains $1 million grant to serve underserved communities in NYC

Hot Bread Kitchen, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering underserved food entrepreneurs, will continue their efforts with the help of a $1 million grant awarded by the 2024 TD Ready Challenge, an annual initiative spearheaded by TD Bank.

The grant will play a crucial role in enhancing Hot Bread Kitchen’s small business program, HBK Incubates, which helps women of color and immigrant women in launching and growing their small food businesses. The nonprofit provides resources such as culinary training, job placement, and an ecosystem of robust support.

By focusing on transformational initiatives, Hot Bread Kitchen aims to convert these budding enterprises into sources of sustainable income and long-term wealth for their owners.

“Hot Bread Kitchen is deeply grateful for TD Bank’s twelve years of unwavering support,”  Leslie Abbey, CEO of Hot Bread Kitchen, said in a statement. “With the TD Ready Challenge Grant, we have an incredible opportunity to transform our small business program, HBK Incubates, expanding access and amplifying the impact of our Seed and Scale programs in ways that will be life-changing for the entrepreneurs we serve.”

According to Ralph Bumbaca, regional president of Metro New York at TD Bank, small businesses are vital in developing and sustaining communities in New York.

“From local shops to restaurants, the small businesses that Hot Bread Kitchen supports define the character and culture of New York City,” he said. “Through HBK Incubates, Hot Bread Kitchen is helping to build the resilience of these vital businesses by equipping culinary entrepreneurs with training, career development, and other resources they need to grow and succeed.”

While the TD grant will primarily support the HBK Incubates program, Hot Bread Kitchen also runs the New New Yorkers program, which focuses on culinary education and career development for immigrants. This program, led by Chef Kandy Williams, has been instrumental in changing the lives of many aspiring chefs. Chef Kandy, an immigrant from Peru and an alumni of Hot Bread Kitchen, has had her own inspiring journey within the organization.

“I can see me in the same shoes that my students are in at this moment,” Chef Kandy said. “I came with the same dreams, with the same goals. I want them to believe that they can grow, and that they can make their own dreams come true.”

Chef Kandy is the Lead Instructor for the New New Yorkers program, an immigrant from Peru, a Hot Bread Kitchen program alumni, and chef.Photo courtesy of TD Bank

Since graduating from Hot Bread Kitchen in 2018, she has worked her way up at Restaurant Associates at Google, becoming a symbol of success for many of the program’s participants.

With this new grant, Hot Bread Kitchen aims to extend its reach, enhancing its ability to uplift small food businesses and, by extension, improve economic conditions within the larger community.

The TD Ready Challenge, part of TD Bank’s commitment to creating a more inclusive and sustainable future, invites organizations to submit applications that address community challenges in areas such as financial security, connected communities, and better health.

“In previous years, the TD Ready Challenge has focused on addressing barriers to affordable housing, driving equitable health outcomes, and tackling pandemic-related learning loss,” a TD Bank representative said in a statement. “With this year’s focus on small business support, we hope to foster greater economic resilience among local entrepreneurs.”