While work continues on social justice group Allied Media Projects’ Love Building campus at 4641 Grand River Ave., new details have emerged about its forthcoming food program.
That will be led by chef Nezaa Bandele, aka “Mama Nezaa,” a Jamaican chef who has made a name for herself feeding social justice movements since the 1980s. With Allied Media Projects, Bandele will develop her business Paradise Natural Foods into Paradise Deli and Marketplace.
According to a press release, Paradise Deli and Marketplace will offer “plant-forward” meals, including grab-and-go catering orders. It will also have a marketplace featuring local producers, a coffee and juice bar, kitchen space for other food makers, and offer nutrition classes.
“The deli and marketplace will be a place rooted in community where people can come, explore, expand their knowledge of healthy food and get educated about adopting a healthy lifestyle,” Bandele said in a statement. “We want to create opportunities for people to grow and come together in a space we call a third place, which isn’t your home or your office, but somewhere that feels communal.”
Paradise Deli and Marketplace says it plans to hire local Detroiters from the surrounding neighborhood.
The project is aiming for completion in spring 2022. More information is available on a Patronicity page.
Stay connected with Detroit Metro Times. Subscribe to our newsletters, and follow us on Google News, Apple News, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Reddit.
Related Stories
Detroit’s Allied Media Projects Seed series announces fall 2022 lineup
This article appears in Aug 4-10, 2021.
