Maida Hill Place – Community café and kitchen
Client: Westminster Artisans
Status: Due to start August 2011
Building on the success of the Maida Hill Market in transforming a rundown space and creating a sense of community, Westminster Artisans, a social enterprise group, have taken a derelict restaurant next to it, and are developing it into a community café with a commercial kitchen in the basement. The café is to be a flexible, adaptable space – information centre, shop, restaurant, theatre, cinema, studio, and gallery. The kitchen will operate as a sort of culinary ‘hot desk’ – a fully equipped commercial kitchen available for daily hire for use by new and growing businesses, established caterers, food manufacturers and cookery schools.
DMA became involved when Westminster Business Council (WBC) introduced them to Westminster Artisans, who were looking for pro-bono support on the project. DMA have benefited through their association with WBC and much of their work is in the borough, so this was an irresistible opportunity to give something back.
