Carver Food Enterprise Center

Name: Carver Food Enterprise Center
Address: 9432 N. James Madison Highway Suite 106, Rapidan, VA, 22733, US
Telephone: +15407273435

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Rapidan, VA
Carver Food Enterprise Center

A shared commercial kitchen and food business incubator.

06/19/2026

Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, but it's also an opportunity to remember and share the stories that shaped our communities.

The George Washington Carver Regional High School, built in 1948, served as the only regional high school for Black students in the area until integration in 1968. The building stands as a testament to the students, educators, families, and community members who made education possible despite the barriers of segregation.

We are fortunate to share this space with George Washington Carver Regional High School Legacy Association who has created an incredible museum, preserving the stories of the school and the people who shaped it. ❤️

Recently, we welcomed a group of PATH Foundation interns for a tour of Carver. The day included a visit to the museum, where students learned about the building's history before exploring the rest of the campus, including our kitchen. They also toured the research and demonstration gardens managed by VSU College of Agriculture Small Farm Outreach Program.

One moment that stood out was meeting an intern whose grandmother is a Carver alumna, a reminder that the history of this place is not distant history. It lives on through families, stories, and community connections that continue today.

Any time we have the chance to open our doors and share the story of this place, we take it. With Carver in our name, we strive to honor both our namesake and the legacy of this building by creating opportunities that benefit everyone in our community.

Happy Juneteenth. 🖤❤️💚

06/17/2026

👏 We have to give a special shout out to the incredible team from the Real Casino - Free Slots !

When we host Feeding 500 events, there's usually a little something left to do when lunchtime rolls around- a few trays to package, some dishes to wash, a bit of cleanup to finish.

Not this time.

The Free Clinic team worked so efficiently that by noon, the baked pumpkin oatmeal was finished, packaged, cleaned up, and we were ready for lunch. 🥣✨

Of course, we probably shouldn't have been surprised. The teamwork, dedication, and care they brought to the kitchen are the same qualities they bring to serving our community every day. ❤️

We're so grateful for their partnership and for all the volunteers who helped create 444 servings of Avena Horneada – Estilo Calabaza en Tacha (Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal) for our community!

Thank you for showing us what an amazing team can accomplish when they work together! 🙌🎃

06/16/2026

Science, food, and a whole lot of curiosity! 🔬🌱
We loved welcoming summer campers from Fauquier County Parks & Recreation to the Carver Center!

During their field trip, campers got to connect food, agriculture, and science with the work happening here every day- from what grows in the garden to what happens in the kitchen. And of course, we made sure to add a little hands-on fun, tasty fun along the way! 🥕🧪

A big thank you to VSU College of Agriculture and Virginia Cooperative Extension - Culpeper Unit for being part of the tour and helping show the kids all the amazing things happening at Carver.

We love getting to share this space with young learners and future problem-solvers! 💚

06/14/2026

🎃🥣 Yes, it was pumpkin again, but this time with a delicious twist!

In collaboration with the Free Clinic of Culpeper , our Feeding 500 volunteers prepared 444 servings of Avena Horneada – Estilo Calabaza en Tacha (Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal), a recipe developed by Lenah with Virginia Cooperative Extension - Culpeper Unit .

Drawing on her experience working throughout Central and South America, as well as alongside local food pantries and organizations like the Piedmont Action Coalition on Hunger, Lenah set out to create a pumpkin dish that would feel familiar and culturally relevant to many members of our community. ❤️

The result was this incredible baked oatmeal, featuring a candied orange peel syrup that adds a rich depth of flavor and sweetness. 🍊✨

The finished meals were distributed through the Fauquier Community Food Bank and Thrift Store and the Free Clinic of Culpeper, helping connect local produce with nutritious, thoughtfully crafted meals for our neighbors.

A special thank you to Lenah for sharing her creativity and expertise, and to our volunteers who helped bring this recipe to life! 🙌

📸 Photos by Camden Littleton for Virginia Cooperative Extension.

06/13/2026

🎃 You know, I know, we all know... It's pumpkin again!

At this point, if you're guessing what we made with rescued pumpkins, your odds are pretty good.

While our volunteers were busy making pumpkin butter during our May 20 Feeding 500 event, they also baked up 216 servings of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins! These delicious treats were shared with our partners at MESA - Madison Emergency Services Association , helping to make sure rescued food made its way back into the community in a delicious way.

Turns out pumpkins are pretty versatile, and we're not done finding new ways to put them to good use. (Always open to ideas, too!)

Thanks again to the amazing volunteers who helped transform surplus produce into something delicious, nutritious, and impactful. 🧡

06/11/2026

🧄✨"Another day, another delicious experiment in the freeze dryer!

This time, .d dropped off garlic scapes from his garlic operation. He grows garlic for his incredible black garlic, but scapes are another part of the plant with plenty of potential.

So, naturally, we started experimenting.

With support from Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, we tested different freeze-drying times and temperatures to see what kind of products we could create. Most of this batch will become part of a Feeding 500 ramen topping mix, while some may be pulverized into a flavorful spice blend powder.

Experiments like this help us better understand what value-added products might be possible for local farmers, and what it could cost to make them.

Big thanks to Farmer D for the scapes and to Rappahannock Electric Cooperative for helping make this kind of learning possible!

06/08/2026

🎃 When in doubt, guess pumpkin!

On May 20, an incredible team of volunteers joined us for a Feeding 500 event with a special purpose: helping us test a pumpkin butter recipe for future co-packing opportunities.

Using donated pumpkins puree frozen from last fall and winter, volunteers helped transform it into 960 servings of pumpkin butter. While this batch was made primarily with rescued ingredients, it gave us the chance to test important factors like pH, timing, viscosity, and process, all key steps in developing a recipe that can be safely scaled for local farmers.

As we prepare to install our new steam kettles later this summer, projects like this help us explore value-added products that can create new income opportunities for regional growers.

And pumpkin butter wasn't the only thing on the menu that day... stay tuned to see what else our volunteers created! 👀

06/06/2026

🔥 Vendor Spotlight: 2BQ! 🔥

Huge thanks to our intern Caitlin for putting together this spotlight on Brent Blackwell, founder of 2B-Q a business that truly shows the power of community collaboration.

What started as a tent at local farmers markets has grown into a thriving food truck serving incredible Brazilian barbecue all across our region. But Brent’s success isn’t just about amazing food (though it definitely is that too 😉). It’s about the way he shows up for the community- supporting fundraisers, collaborating with other small businesses, and creating opportunities for local students through CTEC.

Brent embodies something we deeply believe here at Carver: when small businesses work together, everyone rises. And the community has responded with so much love and support in return.

We’re proud to have 2BQ as part of our kitchen family. 💛

06/04/2026

Thank you for stopping by to see what we do! And shout out to our partners with VSU College of Agriculture and Virginia Cooperative Extension - Culpeper Unit for making sure the field trip was herb-mazing!

Address

9432 N. James Madison Highway Suite 106
Rapidan, VA
22733

Telephone

+15407273435

Website

https://linktr.ee/gwcfec

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