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SearchDedicated teaching kitchen space to be named in honor of Cleveland Clinic
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Cleveland Public Market Corporation (CPMC) announced today that Cleveland Clinic has committed $1 million in support of the Market’s Transformation Project. The funds will be used to build a teaching kitchen in a vacant space on the second floor of the market which will be named in honor of Cleveland Clinic.
“At Cleveland Clinic, we believe food is medicine. That’s why we’re proud to join forces with the West Side Market, to expand access to nutritious food and education,” said Vickie Johnson, Chief Community Officer, Cleveland Clinic. “Our initiatives are designed to remove barriers, create opportunities and build stronger, more resilient communities. As we continue to address hunger across the neighborhoods we serve, this teaching kitchen will be a powerful extension of that work.”
The teaching kitchen replaces an unused women’s locker room that has not been open to the public. The kitchen will have cold and dry food storage, working ovens and stovetops, a demonstration counter, and educational workspaces to allow for a wide range of programs and activities. CPMC will collaborate with Cleveland Clinic on nutrition and food access programs in the space, with additional programs including chef collaborations, cooking classes, merchant demonstrations and more.
“Creating structured educational programming centered around food, nutrition and entrepreneurship is a cornerstone of CPMC’s mission, as we look to strengthen West Side Market’s community impact,” said Rosemary Mudry, Executive Director of CPMC. “The possibilities for the teaching kitchen space are truly limitless – and we look forward to collaborating with community partners to create engaging educational programs that are relevant for a diverse set of audiences. We are especially grateful for Cleveland Clinic’s belief in the market’s future and the impact this teaching kitchen will have on our community.”
“Thousands of school children visit us every year during loosely structured field trips,” said David Abbott, President of the Board of Directors at CPMC. “This teaching kitchen will be a dedicated space to activate the potential around this built-in demand for learning at the market. Thank you to Cleveland Clinic for sharing our enthusiasm for the opportunity presented by this major improvement.”
When not scheduled for programs, the teaching kitchen will be used for public and private events and classes through market merchants, local chefs, and community partnerships. In addition, it will serve as the on-site catering kitchen for future event space located on the second floor of the market. Revenue from programs and rentals will help support West Side Market operations.
“We’ve made so much progress on the project, but the remaining funds we have to raise are critical to create the spaces and experiences needed to put the market on the path to long-term financial sustainability,” explained Mudry. “Having a dedicated hands-on classroom, a rentable event space and a prepared local food hall is exciting for our customers and aligned with 21st century best practices. It also allows us to expand our revenue portfolio in a way that ensures we can continue to operate as a true public market, where small businesses offer a variety of fresh groceries to customers from our Ohio City neighborhood and throughout Northeast Ohio.”
Cleveland Clinic’s support, along with other soon-to-be-announced commitments, has helped CPMC raise $60 million toward the total project cost. CPMC is still seeking $10 million in community support to complete the project.
In addition to this significant investment, Cleveland Clinic is allocating $50,000 specifically toward food programming development. Another round of the market’s recent “Fresh Fundamentals” weekly chef demonstrations launches this fall with prepared meal kits for community members with SNAP/EBT benefits – made possible by Cleveland Clinic’s support.
Working with local nonprofit Food Access Raises Everyone (FARE), Cleveland Clinic and CPMC have also partnered on a two-pilot “Food is Medicine” program entitled Produce Rx. Medical professionals prescribed fresh produce to patients with diabetes, with all produce being sourced through businesses at West Side Market. The pilot was highly successful:
In its second pilot phase, Produce Rx delivered produce boxes to participants’ doors with recipes and seasonally fresh goods, similar to a trendy meal delivery service. With the success of two pilots, both entities look forward to continued collaboration around expanded “Food is Medicine” efforts.
“As neighbors, Lutheran Hospital and the West Side Market serve many of the same people every day,” said Timothy R. Barnett, M.D., Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital. “Together, we’re making healthy choices more accessible to our community. This partnership helps us stay connected to our community and support meaningful, lasting improvements in people’s health.”
Cleveland Clinic: Sofia Vilar, Vilars2@ccf.org, 216.956.1164
Cleveland Public Market Corporation: Patrick Evans, patrick@westsidemarket.org, 216-406-8786
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation, Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 83,000 employees worldwide are more than 6,600 salaried physicians and researchers, and 21,900 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,725-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, 300 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2025, there were 15.9 million outpatient encounters, 343,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 336,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at x.com/CleClinicNews. News and resources are available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.
Editor’s Note: Cleveland Clinic News Service is available to provide broadcast-quality interviews and B-roll upon request.
Cleveland Public Market Corporation strives to make West Side Market the nation’s premier public market by meeting the evolving needs of merchants, customers, and the community. CPMC preserves the city’s public market tradition while making the local food system more accessible, equitable, and diverse.
CPMC also is implementing the Market’s $70 million transformation plan. The newly renovated KeyBank Produce Arcade opened to the public on January 9, 2026, marking the first major milestone in this project.
