MAKE Projects, a hyperlocal urban farm, cafe, and social enterprise with a transformative impact, is preparing to open another eatery in San Diego, this time in Normal Heights at the corner of Felton and Adams.
The company’s second brick-and-mortar will sit behind Yoga Box studio, spanning a 2,000-square-foot café with a small garden, according to Eater San Diego. The yet-to-be-named restaurant is expected to open sometime next year. MAKE Projects, which opened MAKE Cafe last fall, will use this restaurant to support its mission of empowering refugee and immigrant women and youth with job readiness skills.
MAKE Projects began in 2017 as a social enterprise pilot project within the International Rescue Committee (IRC). It spun off from the IRC in 2021 and is now its own independent 501c3 organization. It provides paid work experience and one-on-one coaching for low-income refugee and immigrant women with employment barriers through a 12-week program at MAKE Cafe at 2920 University Avenue or its one-acre farm in Mission Valley. The latter supplies produce to its eateries and Community Supported Agriculture subscription program. The new restaurant will be an extension of this program.
Those who want to get involved with this project sooner are encouraged to visit MAKE Cafe, specifically when it has special events. Earlier this month, the company began hosting a four-course Haitian-themed dinner using MAKE Farms ingredients, starting on October 24. The pop-up dinner series was one of many ways to contribute to the new restaurant and could pop up again in the future, as MAKE Projects hosts various events throughout the year, from seasonal dinners to farm brunches, classes, workshops, and more.
