Apples, pumpkins, frozen watermelon, pies and an award nomination in Carver kitchen

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CARVER FOOD ENTERPRISE CENTER

Before the Carver Food Enterprise Center even had a chance to catch its breath from October, November arrived with a bang, and a few more apples.

The very first event of the month in the commercial kitchen in Culpeper County was transforming the extra apples donated by FT Valley Farm into a delicious, no-sugar-added apple pie filling. Some of it went straight into quarts for food pantries, giving families something they can turn into pies, oatmeal bakes, yogurt toppers, or just eat by the spoonful. The rest was frozen for a very special event later in the month.

The first week of November was all about Farm to School. The kitchen joined a round-table hosted by 4P Foods and the Chef Ann Foundation at the PATH Foundation to talk about the future of getting local food onto local lunch trays. The conversation was rich with insight—from program successes to ongoing barriers—and reinforced something already known: this regional work is too important to let end with the pilot and will be at the table for the long haul.

Later that week, the kitchen was filled with the warmth (and smell!) of roasted sugar pumpkins grown by Rappahannock County students. With the help of an awesome volunteer crew, those adorable pumpkins were turned into a silky puree for a December farm to school dish.

Because Carver was nominated for “Best Nonprofit in Culpeper,” kitchen staff dressed up and headed to the Chamber of Commerce gala. While the kitchen didn’t walk away with the award this year, its leaders were thrilled to cheer on the outstanding work of Mom2Mom and all the other fabulous winners. Culpeper is full of stars.

November also gifted a rare moment to face the reality of the kitchen's storage space. Thanks to recent donations and new equipment purchases, it was packed. Staff and volunteers built new shelving and storage cages, set up long-awaited equipment, and brought order back to chaos. The storage space is so tidy it could impress even the strictest home-organizing TV judge, and it’s ready for whatever 2026 brings (expansion, perhaps?). Mid-month, the kitchen welcomed the Culpeper Business Connections group to help turn frozen watermelon into refreshing ice pops for the Farm to School program. They took to the filler like seasoned pros, and though there were still a few popsicle eruptions (a Carver classic), every batch gets better. This project highlighted exactly what the kitchen does best: preserving the abundance of summer for students to enjoy year-round.

The very next day, another incredible group of volunteers joined for November’s Feeding 500 event. With the apple filling made earlier in the month, hand pies were on the menu and for the first time ever, the kitchen used its brand-new dough sheeter courtesy of a GO Virginia grant.

Local baking heroes Rachel and Mike from Pastries on the Porch graciously came to teach workers the ropes, and with their guidance, the crew rolled, cut, filled, and crimped just over 300 servings of beautiful hand pies. Those pies went straight to the Free Clinic of Culpeper and the Culpeper Food Closet, and the event itself was generously supported by Wawa.

The dough sheeter and the new 60-quart mixer are game-changing for the many bakers who use the kitchen, and equally exciting for staff, who love equipment that hits the rare commercial-kitchen trifecta: the right size, easy to clean, and easy to repair.

The Carver kitchen closed out the month with yet another test batch of bone broth and dog treats. Practice makes perfect, and they are determined to nail these recipes for farm partners (and the pups who will be very enthusiastic taste testers). While there were still a few issues, each batch gets better and better—closer to co-packing every day.

Finally, as the kitchen head into the final stretch of the year, they are feeling especially grateful. Inside the walls, an incredible team from the Extension Office (such as Ashley, Linda, and Carl) champion the work and jump in wherever needed. On the grounds, neighbors like Sheila and Khalil support the work along with the unstoppable April and Bryan with Friends of the Rappahannock, who are willing to lend a hand, tractor, pumpkin, or shovel as needed. And in the community, the kitchen is blessed with the many volunteers, donors, funders, cheerleaders, pot-scrubbers, wheel-greasers, and supporters who breathe life into this mission. Culpeper County and its amazing maintenance crew keep the place running, and kitchen users inspire every day.

A special, extra-big thank you to the team—to Lenah and Kim. Every day, they bring curiosity, brilliance, kindness, humor, and a fierce commitment to strengthening the regional food system. This work simply wouldn’t happen without them.  Here’s to the final stretch of 2025—and to all the people who make Carver the beating heart of local food resilience.