More than just retail: Goodwill flexes culinary muscles at Downtown Market

The Grand Rapids Downtown Market has announced a partnership with Goodwill Industries, who will move their Blue Spoon catering operation into the Market Hall. Goodwill will also open Blue Spoon Soup & Spuds, an entirely new cafe concept, serving freshly prepared soups and baked potatoes.

Jill Wallace, chief marketing officer for Goodwill, says the catering business has been in operation and has several established clients. She says the cafe, Blue Spoon Soup & Spuds, is an entirely new venture. Together, she estimates that the operations will add three new jobs.

Wallace says the businesses will also serve as a platform for job training. "Over the years we have trained participants for food safety and preparation but we did not have a modern facility," she says. "We needed a fresh start and the market is the perfect place to start the program again."

Ninety percent of revenue from Goodwill's Blue Spoon catering and its Soup & Spuds retail operations will go directly toward the organization's job training and placement programs. Last year Goodwill placed nearly 900 people into local employment. "The market is very community driven and Goodwill supports our community," Wallace says. "We want people to understand Goodwill is more than just our retail stores and we are more than retail job training and placement."

Construction on the Blue Spoon space will begin in mid-March. Soup & Spuds will open to the public in mid-April.

You can learn more about the Downtown Market here.

Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor