Queens Community House Celebrates Opening of Renovated Kitchen at Forest Hills Community Center

Public investment transforms longtime community kitchen into state-of-the-art space supporting older adults, food access and culinary workforce training

QUEENS, NY — Queens Community House (QCH) joined elected officials, community members and program participants on Thursday, September 17, to cut the ribbon on a newly renovated commercial kitchen at its Forest Hills Community Center, celebrating a major public investment that will strengthen food services and create new opportunities for young adults preparing to enter the workforce.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, State Senators Jessica Ramos, Leroy Comrie and Joseph Addabbo, Assemblymembers Andrew Hevesi and Catalina Cruz, and New York City Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry joined QCH for the celebration. Henry Yam, Chief of Staff to Council Member James Gennaro, attended on behalf of the Council Member, whose office also supports the Center and its programming.

The renovation was made possible through the support of public partners who invested in transforming the Forest Hills Community Center. During the ceremony, QCH highlighted a $1 million investment from Borough President Richards and a collective $3.025 million secured by the State Senators and Assemblymembers present.

“When you invest in QCH, we put your money to work, and we do it as quickly and as well as we possibly can,” said Ben Thomases, CEO of Queens Community House. “We are so grateful to the elected officials and government partners who recognized the importance of this Center and invested in it. This kitchen will nourish our neighbors, create opportunities for young people and bring generations together under one roof — something that is very much at the heart of what Queens Community House does.”

The project dramatically expanded and modernized the Center’s kitchen. The renovated space includes commercial-grade cooking equipment, a new walk-in refrigerator and freezer, expanded food storage and preparation areas, dedicated food pantry storage, a new loading and storage area, energy-efficient upgrades and enhanced fire-safety systems. The kitchen footprint was also enlarged and outfitted as a flexible teaching kitchen. 

For members of QCH’s Forest Hills Older Adult Center, the reopening means a return to freshly prepared meals made on site after nearly two years of catered meal service during construction.

Forest Hills Older Adult Center participant Frank Zhao, who spoke at the ceremony on behalf of his fellow members, described the kitchen as “the heart” of the Center and celebrated the return of fresh, nutritious meals prepared on site.

The new space will simultaneously help prepare another generation of Queens residents for employment. The kitchen will serve as a training site for the culinary track of QCH’s Community Resources for Employment Development (CRED) program, funded by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development.

Through CRED, participants receive hands-on workforce training, mentorship and paid internships with local businesses, building professional skills, experience and connections that can lead to long-term employment. CRED participants may receive up to 24 weeks of paid training and internships alongside work-readiness, occupational training and other supports.

That connection was already on display during Thursday’s celebration. While guests gathered for the ribbon cutting, young adults currently enrolled in QCH’s CRED culinary program were participating in a class just steps away from the new kitchen.

“This is a space where we can feed a family today while helping someone build the skills to provide for their family tomorrow,” Council Member Thomas-Henry said during the celebration, highlighting the kitchen’s dual role in addressing food access and creating pathways to employment.

Borough President Richards reflected on seeing the project move from an idea to a completed community resource and emphasized the importance of investing public dollars in neighborhood institutions that serve residents throughout their lives. Richards said the new commercial kitchen will strengthen meal service, expand food pantry storage and provide a space for culinary workforce programming.

Senator Ramos noted that the Center provides a place where older adults can share a meal and build relationships while young people gain pathways toward careers. She announced during the ceremony that she had allocated $750,000 in state funding toward completing the project.

Senator Comrie described Queens Community House as a trusted community partner and said the renovated kitchen strengthens QCH’s ability to provide meals while adding a new teaching space for workforce development.

Assemblymember Hevesi also highlighted the longstanding partnership between his office and QCH, while Assemblymember Cruz celebrated the creation of a welcoming community space that will serve residents from neighborhoods across Queens. State Senator Addabbo was also recognized for providing funding toward the kitchen renovation.

QCH also recognized NYC Aging Commissioner Lisa Scott-McKenzie, who was in attendance, as well as partners at Empire State Development, the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York and the New York City Economic Development Corporation for helping move the publicly funded project through completion.

“This is your space,” Thomases told community members gathered for the celebration. “We hope this kitchen serves you well as a place where you can come and be nourished, physically and spiritually, for years to come.”