FRIEDA ‘s story began in 2015 in Philadelphia with a focus on community involvement by reaching out to parishes, senior centers, schools and universities.
FRIEDA gathered people of all ages from diverse neighborhoods and social and cultural backgrounds to bake and cook together at the Dorrance H. Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises in West Philadelphia. The team sold the baked goods at fairs and holiday markets and donated sweets to soup kitchens and senior centers throughout the city.
In addition to community engagement through baking and cooking, FRIEDA organized crafts workshops in several community centers, with the involvement of students from Temple, Drexel, CAPA, U Arts working with retirees on sewing, crocheting and other craft projects, using old techniques applied to modern designs.
Following the opening of the space at 320 Walnut Street in 2016, more people joined the effort and a creative collective was established, The FRIEDA Atelier, designing and making a wide range of hand-crafted objects.
The active involvement of local artists in the FRIEDA community started when artists who exhibited at FRIEDA engaged the public through workshops and social interaction, donating their time and sharing their creativity and skills. Local and international artists and designers have since become a part of the FRIEDA team.
It took FRIEDA until 2020 to make it online.
