Garden of Joy Culinary Academy

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Garden of Joy Culinary Academy Garden of Joy Culinary Academy is a nonprofit garden-to-table culinary school in Cincinnati, rooted in community, justice, and joy.
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We teach youth life skills through food, gardening, and fellowship. All are welcome at the table.

South Asian Night is coming to Garden of Joy!
Join us Friday, October 23, for our next Pay What You Can Family Dinner. W...
10/15/2026

South Asian Night is coming to Garden of Joy!

Join us Friday, October 23, for our next Pay What You Can Family Dinner. We would love to have you around the table for good food, live music, and an evening together!

Our students and culinary team will be preparing a menu of Indian favorites, including chicken tikka masala, saag paneer (vegetarian), and chana masala (vegan). All plates come with garlic naan, saffron rice, or a little of both, with sweet, creamy mango lassi for dessert!

Dinner is pay what you can, with a suggested contribution of $15 per adult and $10 per child. Give more, give less, or join us as our guest. Everyone is welcome, and all dinner proceeds support our free afterschool programming.

Friday, October 23
5:00–8:00 PM
Garden of Joy | 3226 Central Parkway

No ticket is required, but an RSVP helps us prepare enough food.

Thank you so much to our partners at Feed the Soul and La Soupe, Inc. , who help make these meals possible by supplying rescued ingredients for our students and culinary team. And thank you to all of our amazing volunteers. Garden of Joy is only possible because of the time, care, and love you put into it.

Come on your own, bring your family, or invite a friend. There is always a place for you at our table.

Help us spread the word!

Last night’s third Pay What You Can Family Dinner was an absolute blast!Chili, ways, coneys, and rich, creamy chocolate ...
10/10/2026

Last night’s third Pay What You Can Family Dinner was an absolute blast!

Chili, ways, coneys, and rich, creamy chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream and fresh mint from the garden. Add in music by Evelyn Yosmali and her jazz combo and a dining room full of people we love, and we had ourselves a beautiful evening.

One of the most meaningful parts of last night was seeing our students come back. Several recently graduated from Harbor’s workforce program, and their paid work experience with us came to an end. But last night, many of them returned to volunteer their time and help make dinner a success.

It warmed our hearts to see them walk back through those doors, ready to cook, serve, and take care of the people at our table. We’re so proud of them and grateful for the care they continue to put into this place. Garden of Joy is theirs, too, and nights like last night remind us of that.

We also celebrated our founder, Rev. Todd E. O’Neal, and his 50 years of pastoral leadership. Rev has spent decades making people feel loved, welcomed, and like they belong. So many of us have become part of his family, and Garden of Joy is one more way that family continues to grow. It was such a joy to celebrate him around the table.

And the celebration continues today! Join us at House of Joy at 4 PM for a concert with the O’Neal Brothers and choir performances, followed by a Cincinnati chili buffet at Garden of Joy starting at 6 PM.

A huge thank you to La Soupe and Feed the Soul for helping make these dinners possible and allowing us to welcome people regardless of what they are able to contribute. And thank you to Evelyn Yosmali and her jazz combo for sharing their music with us!

To all of our amazing volunteers who make nights like last night possible: Garden of Joy is only possible because of the time, care, and love you pour into it. We are so grateful for each of you.

Thank you to our students, culinary team, and everyone who came out and filled this place with so much love.

There is always a place for you at our table.

We love you. ♥️

Lots of joy in the kitchen last week on spaghetti and chili day! It’s so fun to watch our students learn, play, and grow...
10/09/2026

Lots of joy in the kitchen last week on spaghetti and chili day! It’s so fun to watch our students learn, play, and grow in the kitchen each week 🍝

Dinner plans tonight? Come on over to Garden of Joy!Cincinnati Chili Night is TODAY from 5:00–8:00 PM! Join us for chees...
10/09/2026

Dinner plans tonight? Come on over to Garden of Joy!

Cincinnati Chili Night is TODAY from 5:00–8:00 PM! Join us for cheese coneys or chili spaghetti, chocolate mousse, and an evening with neighbors and friends. Vegan and vegetarian options are available by request!

Pay what you can: suggested $15 per adult and $10 per child. Give more, give less, or be our guest. All dinner proceeds support our free afterschool program.

3226 Central Parkway
Walk-ins welcome!

We’re also celebrating Bishop Todd E. O’Neal’s 50 years of pastoral leadership! Head next door to House of Joy for Pastor Nathaniel Best in concert at 7:00 PM.

We’d love to see you around the table tonight!

Let our students help take care of dinner tomorrow!When you join a Family Dinner Night at Garden of Joy, you’re giving o...
10/08/2026

Let our students help take care of dinner tomorrow!

When you join a Family Dinner Night at Garden of Joy, you’re giving our students a chance to put their skills into practice and helping keep our afterschool programming free.

Tomorrow’s menu: Cincinnati chili served as cheese coneys or 3-, 4-, or 5-way spaghetti, plus chocolate mousse for dessert! Vegan and vegetarian options are available by request.

Friday, October 9 | 5:00–8:00 PM
3226 Central Parkway

Pay what you can. Everyone is welcome at our table.

We’ll also be honoring Bishop Todd E. O’Neal’s 50 years of pastoral leadership, with Pastor Nathaniel Best in concert next door at House of Joy at 7:00 PM!

Let us know you’re coming:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/cincinnati-chili-night-pay-what-you-can-family-dinner

As we say goodbye to summer, we’re saying hello to our amazing afterschool students! These guys helped our phenomenal ga...
10/07/2026

As we say goodbye to summer, we’re saying hello to our amazing afterschool students! These guys helped our phenomenal garden team clear out some of the summer scraps to make way for our winter crops. HUGE thanks to Rhea West and Anastacia Isaacs for spending so much time keeping our garden fresh and alive all summer long. We ❤️ our Garden of Joy!

Cincinnati Chili Night is coming to Garden of Joy this Friday!Join us October 9 from 5:00–8:00 PM for our Pay What You C...
10/06/2026

Cincinnati Chili Night is coming to Garden of Joy this Friday!

Join us October 9 from 5:00–8:00 PM for our Pay What You Can Family Dinner! Our students and culinary team will be serving cheese coneys and 3-, 4-, or 5-way chili spaghetti, with chocolate mousse for dessert. Vegan and vegetarian coneys and spaghetti ways are available by request!

We’ll also be celebrating our founder, Bishop Todd E. O’Neal, and his 50 years of pastoral leadership.

Suggested contribution: $15 per adult and $10 per child. Give more, give less, or join us as our guest. Every dollar supports our free afterschool programming!

Garden of Joy | 3226 Central Parkway

No ticket is required, but your RSVP helps us know how much food to prepare:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/cincinnati-chili-night-pay-what-you-can-family-dinner

Bring a friend, and please share this invitation!

10/06/2026

Today at Garden of Joy… 🍔burgers! The kids are always so happy about burger day and tbh… So are we. They even tried it with a fried egg!

Address

3226 Central Parkway
Cincinnati, OH
45225

Telephone

+15135414600

Website

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