Root North Shore, Inc

"Friday night I had the pleasure of going to a fundraiser for a program that I was introduced to when I was Mayor with Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll who was Mayor at the time of Salem.

Root North Shore, Inc. is a nonprofit social enterprise in Salem, Massachusetts, that uses culinary education to help young adults build independent lives.

History and Mission

• Founded in 2017 to fight youth unemployment and regional food insecurity.

• Focuses on young adults ages 16 to 26 who face barriers to traditional employment.

• Combines professional kitchen training with critical personal and workforce readiness skills.

Atmosphere and Specialties

• Features an immersive 5,500-square-foot commercial-grade teaching facility and kitchen overlooking the Salem harbor.

• Led by professional chefs who teach hands-on knife skills, food safety, and kitchen operations.

• Maintains an encouraging, highly hygienic, and supportive non-toxic learning environment.

Unique Services and Programs

• Culinary Training Program: A free 14-week curriculum providing industry credentials, personal finance training, job coaching, and local externships.

• Community Meals: Trainees and alumni produce over 700 weekly meals for local children, families, and seniors facing food insecurity through North Shore agencies.

• Catering and Events: Operates Catering by Root and the HarborPoint event space to generate sustainable program support while giving alumni real-world employment.

• Campus Dining Partnership: Serves as the official food service and campus dining partner for North Shore Community College across its Danvers and Lynn locations.

They just opened up the kitchen, redid it all at the Danvers campus, I talked to the Chef and said hey why don’t we work together and get you some local fresh fish to give to the students that will be in the works next." - Sefatia Giambanco Romeo Theken

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Seeing Sefatia Romeo Theken bridge our regional fishing heritage and local fisheries with the next generation of culinary talent is inspiring—it reflects the exact kind of collaborative vision we strive for at Cape Ann Works.

Root North Shore is a fabulous collaborative role model for social enterprise. At Cape Ann Works and The Blacksmith Shop Cafe, we are thankful to be standing with Sefatia and Root as partners—learning from their model, customizing it for Cape Ann, and growing our impact together in the years ahead.