CLEVELAND — Cleveland’s historic West Side Market is getting another major boost as transformation efforts continue at the beloved space.
The Cleveland Public Market Corporation announced the Cleveland Clinic is committing $1 million to support the West Side Market Transformation Project by funding a new Cleveland Clinic Teaching Kitchen.
The teaching kitchen will be built on the Market’s second floor in a currently vacant space that once served as a women’s locker room.
Construction is expected to begin this fall, with the space scheduled to open in fall 2027.
Officials say the state-of-the-art kitchen will host cooking classes, chef demonstrations, nutrition education, student programming and community events.
It will also be available for private rentals and public events, creating a new revenue source for the market.
In addition to the $1 million capital commitment, Cleveland Clinic is giving a separate $50,000 gift to launch food programming and support its “Food is Medicine” initiative.
The funding will help expand nutrition education, improve food access, and develop pilot programs focused on healthier eating.
“Really helping folks take it one step further. Not only are they accessing food here at West Side Market, but they are learning all they can about food and really taking it to the next step of cooking healthy and fresh,” said Camille Dickson, Director of Development and Partnerships for the Cleveland Public Market Corporation.
Market leaders say the teaching kitchen represents a significant expansion of the West Side Market’s mission beyond being a place to shop.
“Everybody knows it’s a place to come and shop, but who ever thought it would be a center of education, job creation, entrepreneurship and food access outreach in the neighborhoods,” said David Abbott, president of the Cleveland Public Market Corporation Board.
Dr. Tim Barnett, Chief Medical Officer at Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital, said the investment highlights the health system’s commitment to the community.
“This $1 million commitment represents reinvestment by the Cleveland Clinic in our local community,” Barnett said. “That’s why this teaching kitchen is so important, because it is going to be able to host classes and demonstrations on how to prepare healthy foods and make healthy meals.”
The donation also marks another fundraising milestone for the West Side Market Transformation Project.
Officials say they have now secured $60 million of their $70 million fundraising goal to modernize and preserve the nearly 113-year-old public market.
