A culinary collaboration

Culinary skills are heating up at Tiffin Community Kitchen. Emily Riehle, executive director, said the kitchen is part of Seneca County Common Ground, which was founded in 2019. According to tiffincommunitykitchen.com, Common Ground "is a nonprofit organization created to support local food and agriculture and promote access to and knowledge of fresh foods for Seneca County residents." Built on the vision of Aaron Gerlach, and bolstered by a board of devoted and diverse community members, Common Ground is comprised of Tiffin-Seneca Farmers Market, Tiffin Community Gardens and Tiffin Community Kitchen. Since its inception, the organization has focused on supporting and improving the local food ecosystem, striving "to support local growers and producers as well as local organizations and community members through education, events, resources and connection through food," the website states. Riehle said construction of the Community Kitchen, located at 90 Jefferson St., began in 2023, and was completed in June 2025. In late July, she said, the kitchen received approval to operate as a community kitchen. "It's brand new," she said. The mission of the kitchen is two-tiered: to provide cooking classes to the community and to serve as a venue that can be rented by those wanting to teach a class of their own or host an event. Anyone is welcome to rent the site, Riehle said. Since opening, she said, the kitchen has welcomed Sugar Rush Studio for a youth cake decorating class, and Tiffin University hosted an Italian-food-centered team-building session, which "was a great event." In addition, the space is being used as part of the PIVOT recovery program, and a six-week series of classes is being provided at the kitchen to serve the juvenile probation program. Riehle said between eight and 10 kids are taking part in the lessons. Riehle said "all different types of classes" are on the menu at the kitchen, catering to "all different levels" of cooking skill. The focus is on ensuring that options at the kitchen "are feasible for everybody," Riehle said. A baking series, comprised of basic bread making, beginner cake decorating, a pies and tarts class, and cookie, pastry, and chocolatier classes, is scheduled through the end of 2025 into 2026, in addition to a cooking class series taught by Rob Malone, owner of The Turntable restaurant. The cooking series includes lessons on balanced meal preparation, basic plating for presentation, preparation of one-pan meals, seasoning and sauces, cooking methods heat control, and more. A Bourbon, Cigars and Dinner event is on the calendar for Aug. 28, and a Taco and Tequila Night is scheduled for Oct. 3. Herbal medicine-focused classes, The Sweet Stuff, also are planned, which teach syrups, elixirs and oxymels. In addition to providing a state-of-the-art facility for teaching and events, The Community Kitchen also is available for use by local businesses, such as food trucks, that require food preparation in a commercial setting, and by entrepreneurs seeking to expand their businesses. Looking forward, Riehle said the vision of the Community Kitchen is to "get to the point we are training for restaurants in this area." A curriculum and training program will be implemented in the future, she said, to prepare individuals to step seamlessly into work at local eateries, ensuring proper training and the development of skill sets. Interest in collaborating with the kitchen to accomplish that goal has been strong, she said. Riehle said support from the community for the project has been tremendous, with "a lot of amazing people involved." The Community Kitchen is entirely funded through grants and donations, she said, and is hoping to see expanded grant opportunities in 2026. Financial support from throughout the community has helped bring Gerlach's vision to fruition, she said. For additional information about Tiffin Community Kitchen, including kitchen rental or classes taking place at the facility, call 419-618-2611 or email director@sccommonground.org. Riehle said class updates are posted regularly at https://www.facebook.com/tiffincommunitykitchen. Currently, she said, website modifications are underway to consolidate the sites for Common Ground, including the kitchen. Once those changes are complete, she said, updated information also will be available on the website.