Thursday, May 10, 2012

W.S. Bazaar plans kitchen with $100K grant

 The West Side Bazaar will be adding a commercial kitchen to its new location.
 The money will come from a $100,000 grant from the 21st Century Fund. Westminster Economic Development Initiative (WEDI), parent corporation for the Bazaar, won the grant on April 24, beating out three other finalists.
 “We are very happy about winning the competition,” said Ben Bissell, economic coordinator  for WEDI. “It will definitely be a huge benefit to the community and prospective vendors.”
 The bazaar’s  planned new location will have up to 30 vendors, and now thanks to this grant will include the installation of  a commercial kitchen and other equipment.
 Martha Sosa, a vendor in the current bazaar  and a trained Peruvian chef, plans to use the new kitchen to exercise her skills, and create a Peruvian restaurant in the location she believes will be on West Ferry. 
 “It will be a lot bigger than here,” said Sosa.
 Bissell said the grant has to be used this year. If an issue arises with the location they hope to be in they will have to try and find a different one.
 “We may have to move the bazaar  to a different location if the government process is too slow,” said Bissell. “If this happens we will most likely use the grant to renovate the bazaar.” By Michael Hargrave and Shayna McKie