St. Pete Youth Farm unveils new outdoor kitchen at its inaugural 'Community Meal’ this week

For almost five years, a community-run farm on a city-owned .83-acre lot has brought folks together and given the teens of St. Petersburg a chance to grow—in a literal sense, but also as future leaders. When you walk through the gates at 1664 12th St. S, the air feels noticeably fresher.

St. Pete Youth Farm was launched in 2019 and has expanded programming, the number of volunteers and employees, and ecological diversity since. The youth-lead farm’s newest addition is the center of attention this week at its first community dinner.

St. Pete Youth Farm’s very first Community Meal happens Thursday, May 23 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. in south St. Pete. The free-to-attend dinner features a collaborative curry courtesy of local restaurant Thai Wok, plus a variety of dishes created from freshly-harvested produce. The gathering marks the first time the farm’s newly-completed outdoor kitchen and gathering area is unveiled to the public.

St. Pete Youth Farm Collaboration Manager Carla Bristol tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that this week’s Community Meal, like all of the farm’s events, is open to the public, regardless of area code or background.

St. Pete Youth Farm’s new kitchen and gathering space was funded and physically built by Leadership St. Pete, organized each year by the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce. One of the oldest initiatives of its kind in the country, LSP is a “six-month program that identifies, recruits, and develops leaders for the local community.” It chooses one “class project” per year to dedicate its time and civic efforts towards. In 2024, southside’s St. Pete Youth Farm benefited from its intense fundraising (with a goal of $50,000) and hands-on work that ultimately resulted in leveled ground for its gathering area, a new outdoor kitchen, waterproof rain sails and over 100 chairs.

“A lot of the project was about enhancing and increasing the functionality of things we were already doing—and they (LSP) absolutely nailed it,” Bristol says. “‘Available’ doesn't always mean ‘accessible’—and we just want to bring back a sense of community in a very accessible way.”

And while its new wood-fired oven, prep area, butcher block and outdoor storage will certainly make future cooking-oriented events easier to host, the youth-lead farm has been organizing a wide variety of culinary demonstrations in collaboration with local chefs since its inception.

“These meals are all about bringing the community together, cooking together and not only being able to not only break bread, but actually participate in the experience of preparing the meal,” Bristol explains. “We want to promote eating, sharing and getting to know one another in a way that you typically don't see any more. We’re gathering for the sole purpose of connecting and building community—with no goals or agenda besides getting to know one another.”

In addition to the collaborative curry filled with farm-fresh produce and collard green pesto that will be the center of this month’s Community Meal, other in-season fruits and vegetables that will be featured over the next few months include: herbs like Thai basil and Cuban oregano, kale, watermelon, collard greens, a variety of different spicy peppers, okra, passion fruit, and sugarcane, that will be eventually made into freshly-pressed juice.

All of these meals will remain vegetarian in an effort to portray how tasty and nourishing plant-based meals can be. Alongside providing a healthy dinner on the farm, Bristol also hopes that this new event series will encourage volunteers and employees alike to cook more often at home with their families.

Bristol says that the farm’s community meals will happen once a month to start, and hopefully more often as they pick up momentum. Besides these monthly dinners, St. Pete Youth Farm also hosts a variety of other programs—from its “Mental Health Mondays” to composting workshops, poetry and creative writing meet-ups and other educational events.

While volunteers are always welcome, Bristol and other leaders invite folks who haven’t been on the farm just to visit, relax, and enjoy the quality of the air—“then before you know it, you might be getting your hands dirty.”

“The idea isn't to come and figure out how to contribute, the contribution is nearly being present. There’s value in being able to engage with somebody new that you don't know,” Bristol adds.

St. Pete Youth Farm unveils its latest addition just a few weeks shy of its fifth anniversary celebration set for Saturday, June 29. Bristol says she’s excited to portray how far the farm has come since 2019 when it was first created in response to south St. Pete’s growing status as a food insecure area.

Over the past five years, the farm has seen over 100 teen employees come and go, in addition to hosting dozens of volunteers and workers in collaboration with local schools and equal opportunity programs like CareerSource. Kids that need to serve court-ordered hours can also lend a helping hand on the farm, whether its planting, pruning or contributing to its many events and workshops.

More news that will most likely be shared at next month’s anniversary celebration is an exciting update on St. Pete Youth Farm’s community compost initiative, which is just shy of 100 members. Launched earlier this year courtesy of a $10,000 grant from LocalShops1, the program encourages local residents (and restaurants) to drop off their excess food waste to compost it into nutrient-dense soil and fertilizer to help bolster the farm’s year-round crops. In return, participants can also use the compost in their own gardens, creating a cycle of sustainable growth.

This growth cycle not only operates in a physical and ecological sense, but in social, interpersonal and mental ways within its many employees and volunteers—perpetuating the farm’s values of self-reliance, leadership and wellness throughout St. Pete and beyond.

“When you're able to put that type of deliberate intention into the youth of our city, I think what we’ll see going forward is a greater return on this investment that the city of St. Petersburg is making towards its future,” Bristol tells CL. “It’s all about making fresh produce and healthy food—and the knowledge of doing it yourself—accessible and available to all.”

Follow @stpeteyouthfarm on Facebook or Instagram for the latest news on its upcoming events, workshops, community meals and 5th anniversary celebration, or subscribe to its monthly “Fresh Press” newsletter on stpeteyouthfarm.org.

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