People’s Kitchen

Research, Design, & Programming Initiative,  ongoing
East New York, Brooklyn Public Library



In this project, called the People’s Kitchen, I ask how prefigurative spaces and mutual aid can be used as a model for the creation of a public kitchen as a means to advocate for new public infrastructures. The kitchen engages community in cooperative cooking and procurement practices that connect and fill gaps in our local food systems, address the effects of a racialized health crisis, redistribute care practices outside of the nuclear family, prefigure new ways of being public, and circumvent the overcommodification of our daily lives.
The initial kitchen programming at Arlington Library in East New York serves as an exploratory model for East Brooklyn Mutual Aid and ENY CLT’s Black Radish Food Hub, part of the Sackman Street development in the East Brooklyn Industrial Zone (IBZ). Beyond modeling what a community-led kitchen space could look like in ENY, the People’s Kitchen is designed to mobilize residents against speculation, uneven development, and displacement while deepening engagement with ENY Community Land Trust. It offers a replicable and evolving model for community-controlled public infrastructure that can be adapted for different urban contexts.

The first material outcome of this project is a People’s Kitchen facilitation guide, developed through public engagement, local and international case studies, and community engaged design.



Research for this project and program spanned over two years and can be summarized here as well as a the description for the early stages of programming.


view full research report

The project has come to fruition as a weekly intergenerational program at Arlington  Library in East New York Brooklyn.

Most recently during People’s Kitchen in collaboration with a Samani, a local resident, mother, and People’s Kitchen regular we hosted a coat drive, resource fair and winter social event. We set up a free clothing “store” and had our grocery shelves stocked as usual, a handful of community organizations came to table and talk about the work that they do, shared a warm meal, as well as had an engaging cooking activity. Since then, People’s Kitchen has continued its weekly programming and is actively growing its role as a neighborhood hub for care, connection, and organizing.

you can see what we are up to here!
or visit our website

special thanks to:

Rookie Kresl, Arlington Library
Kelvin Taitt,   East Brooklyn Mutual Aid
Hannah Anousheh + Boris Santos, East New York Community Land Trust
Mark Araujo Kenneth Bailey ,  DS4SI
Sol Bacio, East New York Youth Farms
Asmeret Berhe-Lumax, One Love Community Fridge
Miodrag Mitrasinovic + Evren Uzer, Parsons School of Design

+

East New York Residents!!



soraya barar

gbarar@gmail.com
(323) 719-1998