"Displaced Chefs Project" pop-up shops give Baltimore chefs a second chance

BALTIMORE - A group of entrepreneurs in Baltimore are teaming up to give chefs a second chance.

They're launching a series of pop-up shops for those who need somewhere to start over and a place to cook again.  

It's called the "Displaced Chef's Project."

 "Food is the unspoken love language," said Baltimore entrepreneur Nailah Queen.

Those are words Queen and Natasha Brown-Wainwright live by. 

"If you are a chef that is looking for a place to pop up, we are here for you," said Natasha Brown-Wainwright, the owner of B'More Made With Pride and Natasha's Just Brittle. 

They're working together to put more chefs in the kitchen through the "Displaced Chef's Project." 

The project's goal is to give displaced chefs a place to be a chef again. 

"They're getting a platform to be able to showcase their talents and skills," said Queen. "

"Small and large restaurants closed because of the pandemic and a lot of those restaurants haven't been able to recover," said Brown-Wainwright. 

Brown-Wainwright and Queen are working to give them a second chance. 

"Whether they want to start another restaurant in the future, or just show people that they are still here and they want to cook, give them the place," Queen said.

Queen and Brown-Wainwright are a part of the Culinary Queens Collective, a group of five ladies in the culinary and lifestyle industries working to help the chefs rebuild. 

 "It's hard to feel like you're building something when you feel alone. So when they come on board, they know that they have sisters that's going to support them," Queen said.

If selected to be a part of the project, chefs will have a chance to host a series of pop-up shops or restaurants at the end of every month until December inside B'More Made with Pride's Cafe and commercial kitchen. Organizers believe this opportunity will allow the chefs to simply cook again, rebrand, raise funds and live their dreams once again. 

"I want to make the cafe, their restaurant, I want to make my kitchen, their kitchen so that they can do what they love to do," said Brown-Wainwright. 

"So during that time that they're going to be showing up and popping up," said Queen. "We're going to be there cheering them on the whole time and what they gained is the confidence of knowing that hey, I can do this."

The Culinary Queens Collective hopes to select five current or former chef entrepreneurs for this project. 

If you're a 'displaced chef' and would like to be a part of this project, you can send all inquiries and questions to natashabmoremade@gmail.com or you can visit The Cafe at B'More Made with Pride 6617 Harford Road.