STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) – A Staunton bakery could soon be getting a new look thanks to a donated building from Laurie Berman, a Staunton resident and founder of the Allegheny Mountain Institute.
Jones Gardens is now working to transform what was formerly known as the Newtown Baking & Kitchen into a new development called Züka Cafe and Grocery. The cafe will focus on local food access, hands-on education and cooking programs, and supporting local farmers.
Sara Jones, co-founder of Jones Gardens and a former pastry chef, said she’s thankful to have the space donated for Züka Cafe and Grocery.
“I think God definitely must have put it in her heart to do that, because there’s no other explanation I could think of,” Jones said. “I’ve been itching to get back into the food industry, and we’ve always been finding ways to connect what we’re growing in the gardens to somehow getting onto people’s tables.”
Jones said creating this new hub is important because her goal is to get nutritious, fresh food out to the community around her.
“We’re just really interested in connecting the community to real wholesome food instead of the ultra-processed food,” she said. “Our food system is completely broken, so we’re so heavily reliant on just these fast-food restaurants and so, so many ultra-processed foods at the grocery store. A large percentage of the food in the grocery store is not good for our bodies, and so just finding ways to connect the community and bring us back to just eating good and eating right.”
Jones said they stress the importance of making things accessible and affordable in the area.
“The economy right now, we see that the potential for a huge crash in the near future, and so we want to be able to do as much as we can to fill a gap in our food system, and so, of course, groceries,” she said.
She said they plan to source a lot of the groceries from local farms as much as possible as well.
“We’re not only supporting the local agriculture here, because it’s so rich now. A lot of people are able to really benefit from it, because of the gap in the pricing,” Jones said. “Usually when you’re looking at locally sourced foods or organic foods, it’s dramatically more expensive. … We just hope to be able to make it as affordable as possible.”
She said community members can expect to experience a tasty yet educational experience.
“We want it to sort of be an extension of our garden, in that it is an immersive educational experience,” Jones said. “When you enter at Züka Cafe, we kind of want it to be the same thing, where you come in, you learn about the importance of eating local, eating wholesome foods, eating organic.”
A fundraiser is happening Sept. 21 to help make this vision become reality. Click the link here to secure your ticket.
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