Educator supports local entrepreneurs
A shared kitchen incubator is a commercial facility used jointly by a number of farmers and entrepreneurs, providing one-stop assistance and access to commercial food preparation space and storage, equipment and instruction. Tenants of shared kitchens pay by the hour to receive services, and ideally share the space and equipment with 35-50 other tenants. In 2005, there were no shared kitchens in the sttate of Pennsylvania.
The Keystone Kitchens Program, an initiative of Penn State Cooperative Extension and the Pennsylvania Technology Assistance Program (PENNTAP), has beenworking for the past two years, exploring the feasibility and interest for shared kitchens in a number of communities across the state.
The Keystone Kitchens Program (KKP) was an outgrowth of the Keystone Agricultural Innovation Center (KAIC), a USDA-funded project of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State University Park. The purpose of the original project was to introduce farmers to add value to their farm products, but the high cost of setting up a commercial kitchen was to make a new product was a stumbling block to many of the clients. The solution to this was to create a network of sustainable community kitchen incubators to meet the needs of farmers who wanted to add value as well as those of other food entrepreneurs.
Along with her PENNTAP partners, Lebanon County Cooperative Extension Educator Winifred McGee conducted a survey across Pennsylvania, identifying communities in which there was interest in shared kitchens. Eight communities with both potential tenants, and community groups interested in being champions for a kitchen, were identified. In September 2007, six of the communities—Philadelphia, York, Wilkes-Barre, Republic, Mercer, and Coudersport—took part in a series of meetings that featured Dr. Cameron Wold, a national authority on shared kitchen start-up and management. The survey and community meetings, during which the shared kitchen concept was shared with over 200 people, were supported by the First Industries and NE SARE Community Development grants the team has received. Additional communities showing interest are in Centre and Lancaster Counties.
Over the next two years, the Keystone Kitchens Project will help move these communities ahead, supporting in-depth feasibility studies for the local area, providing guidance in writing plans and creating grant proposals and facilitating the community process necessary to set up facilities that will meet local needs. Once the shared kitchens are in use, Cooperative Extension and PENNTAP will continue to offer educational support, in food safety, business planning and marketing. For more information about this program, contact Winifred McGee.
by Robin Alford
