The Seed opens at Rocky Mount Mills

A place for culinary education officially opened on Wednesday afternoon in an upgraded pre-Civil War structure at the Rocky Mount Mills.

The Seed, which is in the two-story Battle House off Falls Road, is another extension of the efforts of Ripe for Revival, which deploys mobile markets to help remedy food insecurity locally and regionally.

“The fact that y’all are standing here is very humbling,” Ripe for Revival founder Will Kornegay told a gathering of officials, leaders and residents in attendance to celebrate the location of the cooking program.

Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson told the gathering Wednesday that, “This space is more than a building. It will become a culinary and community hub.”

Roberson emphasized that the story of Ripe Revival began with a simple yet powerful idea: “Good food should not be wasted — and no one in our community should go without access to it.”

And he spoke of the subsequent development of Ripe for Revival, which operates a fleet of buses and trucks with trailers and which currently serves an area extending from Butner to New Bern.

“It ensures that families in need are served with dignity while also giving others the opportunity to help their neighbors,” Roberson said. “It turns food into a bridge between people and not a barrier.”

Roberson also noted that Ripe for Revival added a mobile kitchen to provide culinary education on the road and to open doors to learning skills and opportunity.