Culinary Business Incubators Popping Up Around the Country

 In an historic schoolhouse located on Main Street in Warren, R.I., a small team of community  members quietly labored for months on plans to transform the building’s empty halls into Rhode  Island’s first full-service culinary business incubator. The group composed of restaurant proprietors,  farm market executives, faculty of academic food services studies, consultants on hospitality and  tourism and municipal planning and development staff, incorporated as Hope & Main, a nonprofit  business.

Hope & Main raised $125,000 to purchase their 17,500 square foot meeting site and then spent nearly  three years visiting commercial kitchens, talking to chefs, farmers and fisherman about their needs for bringing their food to the market. Using their input, a state of the art workspace for food related entrepreneurs and businesses was designed.

Never doubt what a small group of foodies can accomplish over potluck dinners.  Hope & Main’s dream for a Culinary Business Incubator is now becoming a reality with the assistance of a $3 million U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Community Facilities Loan and $200,000 in private funds.

The building renovation will include the installation of three code-compliant, shared-use commercial kitchens, including a gluten-free kitchen, over 6,000-square-feet of production space, cold and dry storage, and a range of commercial equipment to support small-scale operations for baking, food processing and catering. The rehab will also feature a demonstration kitchen and classroom for education and training related to food preparation, cooking and nutrition, and a 2,000-square-foot community room for events and seminars. A year-round town market will be located on the grounds to allow member companies and food producers, as well as local farmers and fishermen, direct access to local consumers. Hope & Main will open for operation in spring 2014.

Throughout the past decade over 50 culinary business incubators have opened across the United States and many more are in the planning stages. By mitigating start-up costs and providing a nurturing environment, business incubators have successfully graduated over 87% of their firms and kept an astounding 84% of these thriving businesses within their local communities for years after graduation (The National Business Incubation Association).

Culinary Business Incubators can support the local food system and strengthen the region’s food economy. They provide low-cost, low-risk access to full-service kitchens and other technical resources to community-based entrepreneurs enabling them to jump-start early stage food companies and food-related businesses.  They can often act as a foundation for regional economic development and education for decades to come.

Food for Thought at your next community, church or neighborhood pot-luck dinner: If a small group of foodies in Warren, RI and in fifty other cities can do it, why can’t we create a Culinary Business Incubator in our hometown?

RECIPE: POTLUCK SIDE DISH: SPINACH & ARTICHOKE CASSAROLE

(From Judy Johnson, Missoula, Montana)

Serves 12- 14

  • 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 4 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, drained
  • 2 cans (14 ounces each) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and thinly sliced
  • 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • Paprika, optional

In a large skillet, cook mushrooms and broth over medium heat until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Whisk flour and milk until smooth; add to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms.

Place half of the artichoke in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with half of the spinach mixture. Repeat layers. Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper; dollop over casserole. Sprinkle with paprika if desired. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.