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'''Off the Block''' is a frozen pizza, and a salsa, made and sold by teenagers in Mentoring Positives, a youth program in Madison's Darbo-Worthington neighborhood. Profits go back into the program<ref name="ct-2018-10-31-pO18">(2018, October 31). Trade Roots Culinary Collective: Devon Richards manages Off the Block Enterprises for Mentoring Positives, in which teens make and sell OTB brand salsa and pizzas, with profits going to Mentoring Positives' programs. ''The Capital Times''. p. O18. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/508042725/ 508042725].</ref>.

==History==
Will Green founded Mentoring Positives in 2004<ref name="ct-2018-05-16-pO16">(2018, May 16). Mentoring Positives (founded 2004 by Will Green) receives a $175,000 grant; Off the Block salsa sold at Metcalfe's, the Willy Street Co-ops and the Regent Street Co-op; the group is working on Off the Block pizza and is a …. ''The Capital Times''. p. O16. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/508048516/ 508048516].</ref>. In summer 2016 teens in its program and in the PEOPLE program worked at the Goodman Community Center on a frozen pizza made from scratch, as a way to learn business and cooking skills<ref name="ct-2017-01-04-pO30">(2017, January 4). Year in food events: at Goodman Community Center, teens in the Mentoring Positives and PEOPLE programs developed a frozen pizza prototype in 2016, to be marketed as Off the Block pizza. ''The Capital Times''. p. O30. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/516779207/ 516779207].</ref><ref name="ct-2017-08-02-pO10">Pasque, L. S. (2017, August 2). "Program behind Off the Block salsa looks to sell pizza at Public Market." ''The Capital Times''. p. O10. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/516781208/ 516781208].</ref>. The salsa came first to stores: by 2018 it was sold at Metcalfe's Markets and the Willy Street and Regent Street co-ops, and the group hoped to sell the pizza at the Madison Public Market<ref name="ct-2018-05-16-pO16" /><ref name="ct-2018-10-31-pO18" />.

By 2019 the program sold both products, salsa and frozen pizza, under the Off The Block name<ref name="ct-2019-10-23-pO19">(2019, October 23). Mentoring Positives' 15th anniversary: it has created two products, salsa and frozen pizza, under the Off The Block brand. ''The Capital Times''. p. O19. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/610763848/ 610763848].</ref>. In December 2022 Mentoring Positives moved into its own space in the Ella Apartments, 2860 E. Washington Ave.<ref name="ct-2022-12-21-pO16">Garton, N. (2022, December 21). "Will Green moves Mentoring Positives into its own space." ''The Capital Times''. p. O16. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/906892069/ 906892069].</ref>

==See also==
* [[Frozen pizza]]
* [[2010s (decade)]]
* [[Item:Q3176|Off the Block in the Madison Pizza Wiki database]]

==Notes==
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