Kindred Kitchen wants to help food entrepreneurs avoid getting stuck with a half-baked business plan.
The North Side food business incubator celebrates its grand opening this week on West Broadway. The nonprofit will provide affordable, licensed commercial kitchen rental, as well as a series of classes and workshops covering everything from ordering ingredients to refining a menu.
Kitchen Operations Manager Terese Hill says the area is full of "hidden food entrepreneurs"--bakers, caterers and others who either work out of their homes or rent odd hours in church basements or restaurant kitchens. Those arrangements can be illegal or inconvenient and often don't allow businesses to get to the next level.
"You see a lot of churches that rent out their kitchen space, but they may not be licensed and they may not have state-of-the-art commercial equipment," says Hill.
The Twin Cities is home to only a small handful of licensed commercial kitchens for rent, says Hill, and Kindred Kitchen will make this type of space more accessible in the neighborhood. The facility will also offer a three-to-four-month curriculum on operating a food business.
The classes and workshops are open to anyone, with scholarships available for low-income North Side residents. The topics range from food industry essentials such as ordering ingredients, managing inventory, and proper handling and preparation to business basics like planning, marketing, and financials.
The kitchen already has five caterers who are using the facility. Hill says they have space for between 30 and 40 users per month. Rental rates are $25 per hour with a 10-hour-per-month commitment, or $35 per hour with no monthly commitment.
Kindred Kitchen celebrates its grand opening 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, at 1210 West Broadway Ave. N.Source: Terese Hill, Kindred Kitchen
Writer:
Dan Haugen