Photos by Michael Piazza

In the fall of 2021, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology welcomed three new businesses inside the Stratton Student Center. MIT partnered with Dorchester’s CommonWealth Kitchen to support local and diverse start-up food businesses through a program called The Launchpad. The Launchpad currently features Bibim Box, Carolicious and Las Palmas Restaurant and Catering.

Alongside the kiosks serving Korean, Venezuelan and Dominican foods is a powerful mural painted by artist Felipe Ortiz, which pairs butterflies native to Korea and birds of Latin America with flowers found at MIT. The mural tells a story of meditation, immigration and adaptation similar to the stories of the BIPOC- and immigrant-owned businesses selected to be part of The Launchpad.

That’s the goal behind The Launchpad at MIT, one that Bonnie Rosenbaum, director of communications at CommonWealth Kitchen, believes can be a model for the future of Boston—a model other universities and institutions can replicate to create a more just and equitable food economy.

The vendors are selected through a student-led survey to provide fresh, healthy and culturally relevant options that are reflective of the student population. Each vendor is provided with basic equipment; a built-in customer base (hungry students); and pays a certain percentage of the monthly revenue rather than a fixed rent—and students can use their dining card. Plus, it’s an opportunity for each vendor to expand their business and provide more jobs.

When Justin and Grace Won aren’t on the road in their Bibim Box food truck, they are behind the kiosk serving authentic Korean food at MIT. Noodle bowls, salads, sandwiches and of course the popular Bibimbap, a rice dish that includes white rice, seasoned beef, fried egg, pickled carrots, mixed spring greens, sautéed spinach, sautéed bean sprouts and gochujang dressing.

“To be able to share your culture and your food, it’s an amazing opportunity and we are super grateful,” said Carolina García, one of the owners of Carolicious.

García and her business partner, Carolina Salinas, migrated from Venezuela and decided to bring arepas to the streets of Greater Boston. After many years, they secured space within Aeronaut Brewing Company and the Bow Market on Sundays. In addition to their famous arepas, the most popular dish among the students is the pabellón, a traditional Venezuelan dish converted to a bowl that includes rice, a shredded protein, black beans, sweet plantains, cheese and pico de gallo. And like every dish, it’s topped off with a signature basil sauce.

Similar to Carolicious, the owners of Las Palmas have learned to adapt to the needs of the students while still serving traditional foods with rich flavors. Roberto and Seila Green, co-owners of Las Palmas, are always testing new menu items like their tropical mango tofu as a meat substitute.

“We stay true to the Dominican Republic and mangos are popular to the culture … it’s Dominican inspired! We find different ways to adapt so that people can still get the Dominican flavor while respecting their dietary restrictions,” says Roberto Green. The duo prepares most of their food inside their commercial kitchen in Roslindale to be sold at their kiosk inside The Launchpad.

These vendors have also begun to feature drinks and desserts from other members of the CommonWealth Kitchen network. The teams at CommonWealth Kitchen and MIT hope to introduce more vendors to the space and continue to think of innovative ways to promote and support local BIPOC and immigrant-owned businesses. In a metropolitan region like Greater Boston, where there are so many universities and institutions, The Launchpad model is a perfect mechanism for bridging these two worlds in a more accessible way.

bibimboxtruck.com
carolicious.net
laspalmaskitchen.com

This story appeared in the Spring 2022 issue.