can-do kitchen Project

"Folks in Jobs = Food on the table"

Terri Gordon writes in Shore magazine: "When that aha! moment happens and people decide to turn passion into product, they are often unprepared for the bureaucracy that accompanies starting a business".

Read more here

Serving Our Community

The Can-Do Kitchen is a shared-use incubator kitchen - perfect for food entrepreneurs who want to turn their idea into a viable business. We offer strong business startup resources and a low-risk commercial kitchen facility.

We also have time slots available for the occasional kitchen user not necessarily looking to start a business.

The Can-Do Kitchen is in its second phase, at the First Baptist Church in downtown Kalamazoo. From its beginnings in a great little trailer, to First Baptist, the plan is to build a permanent location.

What's more, the Can-Do Kitchen soon will be facilitating connections between local growers and food producers. As well, we will build a foodservice training program to arm under- and unemployed individuals with job skills that enable them to be successful members of the community.

Can-Do Kitchen Mission

• provide commercial kitchen space and business incubation services to start-up and existing food businesses
• increase the availability of locally grown and produced food for sale and donation
• teach foodservice job skills to under- and unemployed community members

As of July 1, 2009, the Can-Do Kitchen is located at First Baptist Church in downtown Kalamazoo. Their commercial kitchen is around 600 square feet and has more storage and nice equipment. The Can-Do Kitchen will live here until we build our permanent site in the near future.

Helpful Services Available

In addition to a great facility, the Can-Do Kitchen offers the following services to lead you to success!

• connections with wholesale food distributors and other ingredient & packaging sources
• connections with local markets and food stores
• relationships with the Small Business Technology & Development Center and the MSU Product Center
• relationships with graphic design, food packaging and marketing firm Newhall Klein Inc. and graphic design firm Brakeman
• recipe software for easy pricing, recipe batching and portion control
• dry, cold & frozen storage
• commercial cooking consulting
• relationships with Michigan Department of Agriculture and Kalamazoo County Department of Environmental Health
• assistance in obtaining a food license
• food-safety training

Please contact Lucy Bland with questions or ideas.

Interested in using the Can-Do Kitchen?

Location

Rental Information.

Looking for locally made products or catering for your store, cafe or event?

We would be glad to provide you with contacts to our clients. Email Michael or visit this page for more information.

And check out these terrific programs:

• AceNet
• Philabundance
• The Starting Block (in Michigan!)
• Taos Food Center
• La Cocina