Since last fall, visitors of the Providence Public Library can now satisfy their study session cravings with a Peruvian eggs benedict, a pork belly banh mi or even an eggplant gyro. All of these dishes are served at the Culinary Hub of Providence, which opened within the library on Oct. 9.
The restaurant was founded by the Genesis Center, a R.I.-based nonprofit that provides education, job training and support services to help immigrants, refugees and low-income residents reach “economic independence,” according to its website.
CHOP has a mandatory 18% gratuity fee that goes directly to the educational nonprofit.
The idea for CHOP originated back in 2019. Following renovations that began the year before, the library had 3,000 square feet of extra space. The library hoped to turn this extra space into a restaurant, said Aaron Peterman, the PPL’s chief operating officer.
On a tour of the library, Genesis Center Chief Executive Officer and President Shannon Carroll saw the empty space and felt “a spark.”
The PPL accepted the center’s proposal for the space in 2021, and construction began in November 2022.
But the restaurant’s location within the PPL made the construction process challenging, Carroll said. The historic building cannot accommodate any open flames, so all kitchen equipment is electrical. Plus, the amount of heat generated inside the new kitchen meant the library had to install a five-ton vent, she added.
When the restaurant opened in October, it was “a totally new place,” Carroll said.
CHOP’s menu incorporates a variety of cultures to represent the center’s diverse student population, according to Carroll. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Students in the center’s culinary arts training program will complete some of their training on-the-job at CHOP. The center hopes its workforce development program will help graduates gain restaurant skills that can be applied to future jobs, Carroll said.
Peterman said the PPL and the center are similarly “very invested in both education and workforce development.”
