Second Serving
Studios
Where Culinary Media Meets Social Impact
A Project Space 411 initiative
Second Serving Studios will be the nation’s first nonprofit media studio, a one-of-a-kind culinary facility designed to attract clients of all sizes, empower local creatives, and reinvest in our community.
Don’t Just Take Our Word For It…
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"Second Serving Studios is needed in Winston-Salem. This investment in media infrastructure in our Downtown core will turn creativity into jobs, investment, and dynamic growth for our community. Supporting a studio that is the only one of its kind in the Southeast means fueling an engine that will draw productions, put people to work, and strengthen the restaurants, businesses, and cultural life that keep our city thriving. This is more than a studio; it is a catalyst that will showcase Winston-Salem’s leadership in arts and innovation and ensure our community continues to grow and prosper."
Allen Joines
Mayor, Winston-Salem
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"Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina is inspired by the vision for Second Serving Studios and the impact it will have on our community. Like Goodwill, this project blends purpose with sustainability — creating opportunities, growing jobs, and telling the stories that matter. We are excited to one day use the space for our own storytelling and to see how it will help lift up people and possibilities across our region."
Barbara Maide-Stolle
CEO, Goodwill Industries of Northwest NC
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"The custom-crafted, multipurpose kitchen in Second Serving Studios is going to be superior to any other in the region. It will attract expert talent from across NC and the country who are eager to have convenient access to a turnkey media production space that is also a state-of-the art culinary facility to use for cooking classes, demonstrations, and community events. The kitchen and the scope of work that can be done there is both visionary and practical. It's going to be a hub of creativity grounded in good business sense."
Sheri Castle
Host, PBS North Carolina’s The Key Ingredient
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"Having a state-of-the-art facility like Second Serving Studios here in North Carolina will open the door to jobs for our talented veteran crew base and create training opportunities for the next generation of film and television artists, producers, and crew. Not every film or TV project will be a Hollywood blockbuster, but Second Serving Studios can provide the practical skills and steady work that keep our artists and crews rooted here in North Carolina—where they can enjoy a high quality of life while helping to tell our stories."
Eric Johnson
SVP Sound and Engagement, Trailblazer Studios
Let’s Tell You More…
Second Serving Studios is a state-of-the-art media studio that will attract mid-market productions and regional clients - from media outlets, corporate partners, and independent filmmakers to brands and individuals seeking commercial content - while developing a skilled local workforce through comprehensive education and training programs.
As home to North Carolina's only professional culinary filming facility, we will offer unique capabilities for cooking shows, food documentaries, culinary education, and branded food programming alongside our traditional production services.
Through strategic partnerships with regional businesses and educational institutions, we are establishing Winston-Salem, and North Carolina, as a competitive filming destination and create a sustainable film industry ecosystem that generates revenue through professional services.
As a nonprofit media studio, we reinvest our revenues into community initiatives and collaborative programming that address critical social challenges and create pathways to creative careers for local residents and students.
Why It Matters
Winston-Salem has the talent, the history, and the spirit to be a creative capital - but lacks purpose-built facilities that can compete nationally. Second Serving Studios fills that gap, positioning North Carolina on the culinary content map while fueling economic development at home.
Economic Development Impact
By drawing productions and events to Winston-Salem, Second Serving Studios will create jobs, generate revenue, and strengthen the region’s identity as a creative hub.
~20 new jobs will be created (including Production Assistants, Gaffers, Grips, Camera Operators, Food Stylists and Set Dressers)
~$3.5M spent on labor/workforce within the first three years of opening the studio doors
With every production filmed in our space, hotel, rental car, and local restaurant and shop usage will increase. This project directly impacts our local economy.
Key Features
1,000 square foot soundstage suitable to accommodate any type of shoot
Fully customizable filming kitchen with flexible set design (residential and commercial looks available)
Commercial prep kitchen attached to the filming kitchen
Hollywood-grade post-production suite including:
Talent Green Room (with private bathroom)
Editing Suites (Avid, Premiere, and Resolve)
Podcast Recording Studio
Audio Mixing Studio
Control Room (capable of transmitting live programming and live directing)
Strategic partnerships with UNC School of the Arts, PBS North Carolina, Goodwill Industries of NC, and other prestigious culinary personalities in North Carolina.
Dining/event space for private dinners and live tapings
Ready To See The Space?
We don’t blame you…keep scrolling!
THE STUDIO SPACE
THE POST SUITE
Community Impact
Because we believe creative spaces should serve people, not profit, Second Serving Studios exists as a nonprofit so that every dollar fuels opportunity, equity, and community impact rather than private gain — and since a nonprofit media studio has never been done before in this country, Winston-Salem, a city built on firsts, innovation, and fearless creativity, is the only place it could ever truly begin.
At Second Serving Studios, our mission goes far beyond creating media—we’re building a hub of opportunity, creativity, and community transformation in Winston-Salem and beyond. This isn’t just about a production facility—it’s about using every camera, every cooking class, every mentorship hour to unlock potential, bridge access, and amplify voices that too often go unheard.
And speaking of opportunity, community impact, and equity, here’s how we plan to reinvest our revenue to create meaningful, lasting change across our region:
Community Classes & Chef Series
Hosting community cooking classes and a “Chef Series” featuring acclaimed international, national and regional chefs—with a number of free tickets reserved specifically for community members to eliminate cost of entry and ensure broad access.
Mentorships, Apprenticeships & Scholarships
Reinvesting revenue from studio operations into paid apprenticeships and fellowship programs for students and non-students alike. This includes those who may not have traditional access to higher education but have talent, ambition and creative drive.
Collaborative Partnerships
Partnering with nonprofits and educational institutions such as University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), High Point University, Wake Forest University, Forsyth Technical Community College, Winston‑Salem State University and Salem College to provide subsidized storytelling and production services—so nonprofits can tell their stories, and students and community creators gain access to professional- grade resources.
Post-Production & Creative Workforce Infrastructure
Building editing bays and a podcast studio, maintaining a regional database of skilled workers (crew, media tech, culinary production, etc.) that’s shared with clients, the North Carolina Film Office, and industry partners — effectively anchoring Winston-Salem as a regional creative hub and feeding the statewide media ecosystem.
Monthly Creative Networking & Community Engagement
Hosting free monthly events for creatives, nonprofits, educational partners, and community members to collaborate, connect, and build relationships. These gatherings strengthen the local creative community and spark ideas, partnerships and new ventures.
Economic Impact & Regional Multiplier
With the studio’s projected $3.5 million investment in local workforce over three years, we’re aligning with North Carolina’s growing media economy—where filming and production recently generated more than $302 million in direct in-state spending in 2024. The ripple effect will boost not only creative careers, but also local restaurants, hospitality, retail and regional economic vitality as national clients visit, hire local talent, and engage with our community.
Help Us Build Something That Builds Others
Second Serving Studios isn’t just a facility — it’s a community engine designed to create access, opportunity, and economic mobility for people across Winston-Salem. When you donate, you aren’t simply helping us build a studio; you’re helping us build a space that will lift others for years to come. Your support creates jobs, fuels education, expands storytelling for nonprofits, and opens doors for emerging creators who haven’t had access before.
If you would like to request information including financials, pitch deck, renderings, or additional project information, please REQUEST MORE INFORMATION.