A kitchen incubator is a business incubator dedicated to early-stage catering, retail and wholesale food businesses. Kitchen incubators are mostly found in those countries with significant levels of food safety regulation where capital investment in commercial kitchen equipment can be prohibitive for a new business. By covering the capital cost of shared kitchen facilities which are lent on a timeslot basis to incubatees, the kitchen incubator enables a business to develop to the stage where it can invest in its own kitchen facilities.
Kitchen incubators share the wider business ideals operated within business incubators and will usually assist their tenants with business planning, access to finance, mentoring, and other business facilities.Kitchen Incubator Database - CulinaryIncubator.com
Culinary Incubator is a database website designed to find kitchen incubators in the United States. Viewable at www.CulinaryIncubator.com, the website offers direct contact to incubators around the country. In addition it provides information about kitchen rentals for perspective tenants which can be found on their "Renters Info" page. Current Kitchen Incubators can sign-up and get their kitchen added to the directory free of charge. Currently (as of 12/5/2008) there are over 30 kitchen listed with contact information.
Chef's Kitchens - Los Angeles, CA
Chef's Kitchens is the original commercial kitchen incubator and was founded in 1984. Their building comprises five health department licensed individual commercial kitchens that are rented out by the hour, and also used for cooking classes and film shoots. All the kitchens were built from scratch and housed in a single building connected by a hallway. Since 1984 the company has changed its name from a well-known catering company to a business that supports culinary incubators, or start-up food businesses. In the last couple of years, Chef's Kitchens has gone digital, making all of their information freely available online at www.ChefsKitchens.com. They have included a "virtual tour" which has pictures of all the kitchens they rent out. Their automated telephone system even reminds you to view the website before asking common questions.
Many companies have used the policies and regulations that they have established over decades in business, such as a security deposit, liability insurance, food handler's certificate (such as ServSafe), and pricing. While their prices are now the standard in the commercial kitchen rental industry, many other small kitchens find it hard to rent out their single kitchens for such low rates ($16/hour as of 6-27-08). Because of the demand, Chef's Kitchens lets tenants use the kitchens 24/7.
The Starting Block - Hart, MI
In West Michigan the Starting Block Kitchen and Business Incubator is a nonprofit, regional economic development organization committed to small business development initiatives – for businesses just starting out, or companies outgrowing their current facilities. Their commercial kitchens are also available at affordable rates to help you grow your food production business. Certified staff in food handling and equipment operation is available for assistance and training.
Toronto Food Business Incubator - Toronto and area, ON, Canada
The Toronto Food Business Incubator (TFBI) is an non-profit organization that nurtures and assists entrepreneurs and small enterprises with the goal of sustaining economic growth, creativity, and the vitality of the food manufacturing industry.
Client companies receive 24-hour access to a production space and fully equipped commercial kitchen. Hands-on experience is supplemented with training, field-trips, and mentoring. Member companies share TFBI's network of industry contacts. This provides the opportunity for rapid progress.
Members using the facility, located the heart of a vibrant commercial food sector, gain a distinct advantage. They are uniquely positioned to quickly and economically uncover, observe and then test a wide range of marketing, distribution and point-of-sale strategies and methods.
Mama's Small Business Kitchen Incubator - Pasadena, CA
Mama's Small Business Kitchen Incubator is a community and economic development project of Episcopal Economic Development (a subsidiary of the Episcopal Housing Alliance) and is a licensed, commercial food preparation and education area that is designed to help small business entrepreneurs start new food-based businesses and accelerate the growth and success of existing enterprises.
The 1500 square foot kitchen is currently used to prepare food for catering events; production of specialty food to be sold in stores, markets, street vendors, and community events; as well as food sold in start-up bakeries and restaurants.
Clients of Mama's Small Business Kitchen Incubator receive attentive support and instruction in safe food handling practices, the creation of small business plans, and entry into specialty food markets.
External links
Kitchen Incubator Databases:
- CulinaryIncubator.com - Comprehensive database of Kitchen Incubators and resources
Kitchen Incubators - Regional:
- Chef's Kitchens: Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Kitchen Incubator: Houston, Tx, USA
- ACEnet Food Center: Ohio, USA
- Western Mass Food Center: Greenfield, MA, USA
- The Starting Block: Hart, MI, USA
- La Cocina: San Francisco, CA, USA
- Nuestra Culinary Ventures: Boston, MA, USA
- Food Centre Wales: Horeb, WALES
- Toronto Food Business Incubator: Toronto, ON, Canada
- Mama's Small Business Kitchen Incubator: Pasadena, CA, USA
- Elixir Kitchen Space: Fort Worth, TX, USA
References
- ^ "Chef's Kitchens: Frequently Asked Questions about Shared Rentals". Chef's Kitchens . http://chefskitchens.com/frequently_asked_questions.php . Retrieved 2008-05-23 .
- ^ "Chef's Kitchens: Shared Commercial Kitchen Rental & Incubator". Chef's Kitchens . http://chefskitchens.com/index.php . Retrieved 2008-06-27 .
- ^ "Chef's Kitchens: Learn what you need to work in our Kitchens". Chef's Kitchens . http://chefskitchens.com/getting_started.php . Retrieved 2008-06-27 .
- ^ "Chef's Kitchens: Find free hours and book them Immediately!". Chef's Kitchens . http://www.chefskitchens.com/real-time-scheduling.php . Retrieved 2008-06-27 .
- ^ "Chef's Kitchens: Photos and descriptions of our five kitchens". Chef's Kitchens . http://www.chefskitchens.com/kitchen_photos.php . Retrieved 2008-06-27 .
- ^ "Chef's Kitchens: Contact Us - Phone: (310) 837-8900, Email & Tours". Chef's Kitchens . http://www.chefskitchens.com/contact_us.php . Retrieved 2008-06-27 .
- ^ "Chef's Kitchens: Shared Kitchen Rental Prices and Breakdown". Chef's Kitchens . http://www.chefskitchens.com/prices.php
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