A new line of spice blends cooked up by a celebrity chef is benefiting a western Kentucky domestic crisis center, employing survivors of domestic violence while also raising funds for the nonprofit.
Season & Shadow was created in partnership with Merryman House and restaurateur Sara Bradley, a James Beard Award finalist who’s appeared on television shows like Top Chef and Chopped. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated to the nonprofit to get the initiative off the ground.
Since the program launched in August, five Merryman House clients have been hired by Season & Shadow to package a trio of different spice and herb blends.
One of those workers is Katrina, who’s been a client with the far western Kentucky domestic violence center for over a year. Because Merryman House works with survivors whose locations need to be shielded from their abusers, WKMS has agreed only to identify clients by their first names.
Katrina said having this job gives her something to do every day while also working on her mental health.
“I was depressed. I was looking, looking, looking, looking, looking for a job, and just couldn't find one,” Katrina said. “Then my job advocate came and said, ‘we got this opportunity here.’ I'm a prep cook, so [I said] ‘bring it on.’”
Her Season & Shadow coworker Jackie agreed, saying this job is one that she’s happy to get out of bed and get to work for.
“I’m thankful for it, and I’m thankful for the Merryman House. They really saved my life,” Jackie said.
Bradley developed the recipes inside her Paducah restaurant freight house, where staff members taste-tested and tweaked the ingredients to get the ratios just right.
While it was an opportunity for her to fulfill a personal goal, the chef said it’s more meaningful knowing that the flavors developed inside of her restaurant can help change people’s lives.
“Every chef kind of has this dream that they'll get to create something like a spice blend, or they'll get to create something that has their name on it and get it out to the world,” Bradley said. “This was this perfect match where, you know, I got to develop recipes to really promote and help a cause that is definitely needed in this area.”
Being able to give job opportunities to survivors of domestic abuse was something that enticed Bradley when she was approached about the idea for Season & Shadow.
“They come in, and not only are we able to be with them in a new season and a new chapter in their life, but we're able to help them job shadow,” she said.”When they leave, hopefully, they go out with a skill set that they didn't have before, and they've gone out with the confidence that, you know, they can produce something beautiful.”
Merryman House Executive Director Mary Foley said the nonprofit was looking to expand job opportunities for people who escaped abusive relationships. According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, financial abuse – which can include abusers forbidding victims to work or controlling how victims are allowed to spend their money, among other methods – occurs in 99% of domestic violence cases.
“The number one reason that survivors tell us that they're unable to escape or break free from an abusive situation is financial in nature. If that's the number one barrier, then we would be remiss if we didn't constantly think of innovative, creative ways to help clients remove that barrier,” Foley said.
The western Kentucky nonprofit was also looking to expand its workforce development program and give opportunities for clients to generate their own income. That mission, along with the idea of launching a line of products made by domestic violence survivors, led to the creation of Season and Shadow.
As business for the program builds, Merryman House is hoping to bring more clients on board and potentially start growing some of the blends’ components on their grounds.
The program isn’t just giving job opportunities for Merryman House clients. Proceeds from the sale of Season & Shadow products go to the Paducah domestic crisis center to support its services.
Foley said having a sustainable stream of revenue could be a valuable lifeline, especially as Merryman House and nonprofits across the country have faced uncertainty in recent months over federal funding cuts and grant cancellations.
“Our mission is to save, build and change the lives of those affected by domestic violence. Okay, we can't do that without sustainable funding ourselves, and we also have to be adapting to what we know survivors need,” Foley said.
It’s also becoming an avenue for Merryman House clients to establish financial independence.
Working for Season & Shadow over the past few weeks, Katrina said she’s saved up enough to tow her car from a local shop and start on repairs herself.
“Now I'm going to be able to fix it, because I got the money, I got the means,” Katrina said.
With some of her first paychecks, Jackie said she gave back to Merryman House and supported an annual fundraiser that helps with the costs of the center’s services.
“I feel like I contributed a little bit now – not near what they did for me though.”
Editor’s note: Bradley’s restaurant freight house is an underwriter for WKMS.
