The Sylvia Center

What The Sylvia Center does

The Sylvia Center is a Bronx, New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2007 by Liz Neumark that delivers hands-on culinary education and farm-based programming to young people and families, with the stated mission of addressing childhood obesity, food deserts, and limited nutrition literacy. The organization operates a portfolio of programs including Cooks for Health (elementary/middle school cooking classes), the Teen Culinary Apprenticeship, the Work-Based Learning Apprenticeship for 16–24 year olds, Family Classes, and the Farmer in the Classroom bridge program. Its physical centerpiece is the one-acre Learning Garden at Katchkie Farm in Kinderhook, NY, which cultivates more than 250 varieties of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers used directly as program ingredients; supplementary aeroponic Tower Garden systems have been deployed at the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment.

Programming is delivered at no cost to participants across four NYC boroughs (Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn) and upstate New York (Hudson Valley, Capital District) via partner schools, community centers, and settlement houses including Lower East Side Preparatory High School, Cornelia Connelly Center, United Activities Unlimited/Mariner's Harbor Cornerstone, and Perfect Ten in Hudson. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and supported by a 20+ member Culinary Council of chefs and hospitality professionals providing pro-bono mentorship.

The business model is donation-driven: all programs are provided free of charge, with funding sourced from individual donations, foundation grants (e.g., The Staten Island Foundation, New York Community Trust, New York Agriculture in the Classroom), corporate partnerships (FOODMatch + Divina, Great Performances, NYC Council District 49), and annual fundraising events including the Art of Cooking benefit gala and the Farm to Table fundraiser. Reported programmatic outcomes include 80% of participants eating more fruits and vegetables post-program and 93% expressing intent to take classes again. The organization has 11–50 employees, achieved a GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency, and is currently navigating a CEO transition in 2026.

Name

The Sylvia Center

Legal name

The Sylvia Center

Website

https://sylviacenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Sylvia Center is a Bronx-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2007, that delivers free hands-on culinary and farm-based education programs to youth, teens, and families across New York City and upstate New York, funded by donations, grants, and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Culinary Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (61), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nutrition & Diet Education (Meal Planning, Macros, Healthy Cooking) (EDAAAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cooking Classes & Chef-Led Workshops (THAJAGAI), Nutrition, Special Diets & Wellness Cooking (EDAOAKAJ), Institutional & Commercial Kitchen Training (Schools/Healthcare/Corporate) (EDAOAKAL)

Keywords

• Culinary education programs
• Youth nutrition education
• Farm-based learning
• Culinary apprenticeship training
• Community cooking classes

Headquarters

HQ city

Bronx

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donations from supporters; tax-deductible gifts to empower young people and families to make healthy food choices

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Sylvia Center delivers free, hands-on culinary and nutrition education programs for young people and families across New York City and upstate New York. Core programs include Cooks for Health (elementary/middle school), the Teen Culinary Apprenticeship, the Work-Based Learning Apprenticeship for 16-24 year olds, and The Learning Garden at Katchkie Farm where 250+ varieties of produce are cultivated for use in lessons. All programming is funded through donations, grants, and fundraising events.

Product overview

The Sylvia Center offers a portfolio of hands-on culinary and food education programs for youth and families in New York City and upstate New York. The core offerings include Cooks for Health (elementary/middle school cooking classes), the Teen Culinary Apprenticeship (advanced teen training), and the Work-Based Learning Apprenticeship (career-focused program for 16-24 year olds). Complementary programs include The Learning Garden at Katchkie Farm (one-acre educational garden), Farmer in the Classroom (farm-to-classroom bridge), and family cooking classes. The organization also runs seasonal events including Farm to Table fundraisers and the Art of Cooking benefit gala, plus publishes the monthly Power of Cooking newsletter. The portfolio operates as a unified approach to food education rather than discrete software products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cooks for Health: Culinary and nutrition education program for elementary and middle school students
• Teen Culinary Apprenticeship (TCA)
• Work-Based Learning Apprenticeship
• The Learning Garden at Katchkie Farm
• Farmer in the Classroom
• Art of Cooking
• Farm to Table
• Power of Cooking

Products and services

• Cooks for Health Hands-on culinary and nutrition education program for elementary and middle school students, delivered free at partner schools, community centers, and settlement houses across New York City and upstate New York. Class sizes include cohorts of 16 students per class at sites such as UAU Mariner's Harbor Cornerstone.
• Teen Culinary Apprenticeship (TCA) Apprenticeship program for teens aged 13-18 providing advanced culinary training, career exploration, and mentorship from a 20+ member Culinary Council of chefs and hospitality professionals.
• Work-Based Learning Apprenticeship Paid work-based learning program for 16-24 year olds providing skill development, career exploration, and hands-on industry experience in food establishments, with Spanish-language inclusion support through partner Grand St. Settlement.
• The Learning Garden at Katchkie Farm One-acre educational farm in Kinderhook, NY cultivating 250+ varieties of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers as living classroom ingredients for hands-on farm-based learning programs for youth and adults.
• Farmer in the Classroom Classroom-to-farm bridge program in which students plant seeds in their classroom and subsequently visit Katchkie Farm to harvest and cook the produce they grew, integrating curriculum with hands-on farm experience.
• Family Classes Family cooking classes in which parents and children cook together, learning meal preparation skills and nutrition knowledge as a family unit, sometimes paired with meal kit distribution.
• Adult Farm Camp Two-day adult experience at Katchkie Farm featuring gardening, harvesting, and cooking activities led by the Garden Manager, first held in June 2025 with nine participants.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of participants report eating more fruits and vegetables than previously
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Jamie OliverflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Jamie Oliver's 10 Skills Food Education Program is being implemented by The Sylvia Center as a local NYC partner. Jamie visited students at Cornelia Connelly Center to launch the program, cooking alongside students and highlighting the importance of hands-on food education as essential life skills.
• Great PerformancescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreat Performances hosts The Sylvia Center's annual Farm to Table fundraiser and provides catering for events. TSC founder Liz Neumark is associated with Great Performances.
• FOODMatch + DivinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate Champion honoree at Art of Cooking gala. FOODMatch and Divina have partnered with TSC for 9 years providing premium ingredients for events and supporting the Divina's Future Community Leader Award scholarship.
• New York Agriculture in the ClassroomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided 'Grow With Us Grant' funding for aeroponic tower gardens at Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment (BASE), enabling teens to explore vertical gardening and food production.
• Grand St. SettlementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for Work-Based Learning Apprenticeship program at Lower East Side Prep. Provides outreach coordination and helps ensure Spanish-speaking students feel included in programming.
• United Activities Unlimited (UAU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates community centers in NYCHA developments including Mariner's Harbor Cornerstone where TSC provides Cooks for Health Elementary program to 16 students per class.
• Green City ForceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization training young leaders in green economy. TSC students visit their community farm for composting, gardening, and seasonality education. Produce scraps from TSC classes are composted at GCF farm.
• Forest Ave ComeUnity FridgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood pantry addressing food access and insecurity in Mariner's Harbor. Leftover groceries from TSC classes are donated to the fridge, creating a fully rounded community ecosystem.
• Nowon (Chef Jae Lee)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEast Village Korean-American gastropub. Chef Jae Lee conducted special visits to Work-Based Learning class teaching knife skills and providing career advice to students.
• South + Pine American EateryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRustica bistro in New Jersey owned by Chef Leia Gaccione. Chef Gaccione visited Work-Based Learning students sharing career journey including Top Chef Season 19 experience.
• Brooklyn Botanic GardenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing ecology-driven programming for teens at BASE, exploring urban gardening, environmental justice, and cooking with produce from aeroponic gardens.
• Culinary CouncilflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 20 members including renowned chefs (JJ Johnson, Anita Lo, Mawa McQueen), food writers, restaurant owners, and hospitality professionals who serve as ambassadors providing mentorship, guest chef appearances, panel discussions, and networking opportunities for students.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Edible Schoolyard Project: Founded by Alice Waters, the Edible Schoolyard Project is a nonprofit that integrates hands-on cooking and gardening into K-12 education to teach children about food, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture—a near-identical mission to The Sylvia Center's youth programming. Both operate school garden-to-classroom models nationally with comparable curricular philosophy.
• Common Threads: National nonprofit providing hands-on cooking and nutrition education to children and families in underserved communities, with programming delivered in schools and community sites. Overlaps directly with TSC's Cooks for Health, family classes, and teen apprenticeship model across similar demographic segments.
• FoodCorps: Nonprofit that connects kids to real food through school-based educators and hands-on food education, with strong presence in NYC schools. Comparable in service delivery model (instruction + garden) and target population to TSC's K-12 programming.
• Wellness in the Schools: NYC-based nonprofit that brings cooking, nutrition, and fitness programs into public schools, including CookShop classroom instruction and FIT programming. Operates in many of the same NYC partner schools and community contexts as TSC.
• Cooking Matters (Share Our Strength): National program of Share Our Strength that teaches low-income families how to prepare healthy, affordable meals through hands-on cooking classes and grocery store tours. Closely aligned with TSC's family classes segment and food desert mission.
• DC Central Kitchen: Nonprofit that uses culinary training and food distribution to strengthen food systems, including youth culinary apprenticeships and workforce development. Compares to TSC's Teen Culinary Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning programs in career-pathway focus.
• Cafeteria Culture (CafCu): NYC-based youth-driven nonprofit tackling food waste and empowering student voices through school cafeteria education. Operates in overlapping NYC public-school geography with a similar youth-engagement and food-system lens to TSC.
• Family Cooks: Nonprofit teaching families how to cook healthy meals together through hands-on classes for parents and children. Directly comparable to TSC's family cooking classes segment and similar low-income family mission.

Emerging players

• City Growers: NYC nonprofit connecting youth to urban farming and food systems through school partnerships and farm visits. Comparable to TSC's Brooklyn Botanic Garden and BASE partnerships with overlap in NYC urban garden-based youth education.
• Butter Beans (formerly Chefs in Training): Nonprofit operating after-school culinary programs for elementary school students in underserved schools. Direct overlap with TSC's Cooks for Health cohort by age group and target community, with a similar hands-on classroom delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SylviaCenter
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWQ1UEXBpCg1zAmdTPHVpBw
• Facebookfacebook.com/thesylviacenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/sylviacenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Sylvia Center