Chef Space will provide commercial kitchen space and business support to food businesses
Louisville, Ky. – A new kitchen incubator is opening in Louisville’s Russell Neighborhood, and organizers hope the space will be used to cook up lots of business.
Chef Space will occupy the former Jay’s Cafeteria and will provide commercial kitchen space and business support services for up to 50 food-related early stage businesses. The facility will also house a retail outlet and meeting spaces open to the community.
Government officials, Chef Space project funding partners, and Community Venture organizers were on hand yesterday to break ground on Louisville’s first kitchen incubator, also known as culinary incubators.
“Louisville is a hub for food and beverage companies of all sizes,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “Chef Space will not only play an important role in our city’s vibrant food community, but it will also serve as an incubator to foster entrepreneurs and grow opportunities for small businesses in the Russell neighborhood.”
Community Ventures, a Kentucky-based nonprofit, is renovating the 13,000-square-foot site, with a late October opening planned as the first phase of a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization project.
“By turning this iconic restaurant into a culinary incubator, Chef Space will create new opportunities, promote entrepreneurship, and generate business growth to help revitalize the Russell neighborhood,” said Congressman John Yarmuth. “I’m proud of the federal investment in this project and would like to thank Community Ventures, Mayor Fischer, and all the partners involved for making this transformation a reality.”
Chef Space will be led by Chef Space President Johnetta Roberts and vice president Chris Lavenson. Community Ventures’ extended staff will provide its full menu of housing and business lending services and products.
“Community Ventures has had a presence in Louisville since 2007 and our partners and donors play a major role in how successful we can be,” said Community Ventures President & CEO Kevin Smith. “By bringing together our partners around entrepreneurship, we hope to help the Russell neighborhood rebuild itself. We now need people who dream of starting their own food business.”
Kitchen incubators are dedicated to fostering early-stage catering, retail and wholesale food businesses. Members are given the opportunity to jump start their food business with a fully-licensed and outfitted commercial kitchen, support services, advice and programs to help build their business. Food trucks, caterers and bakers are a few examples of the food entrepreneurs Chef Space can help. Chef Space is modeled on the successful Union Kitchen Food Incubator (www.unionkitchendc.com) in Washington, D.C.
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