The Greater Gainesville commissary kitchen revolutionizing the food industry
Working Food Commissary Kitchens is an inspiring entrepreneurial endeavor revolutionizing how food is produced and distributed by small businesses.
The 501(3)(c) non-profit organization is helping the local food community in Greater Gainesville by working to supply local vendors with affordable culinary solutions.
From Latin food artisans to eclectic cheese mongers, many of these businesses attest that Working Food’s commissary kitchen has helped them thrive through the good times and bad. The kitchen helped many entrepreneurs in the local food industry survive the unsure days of the COVID pandemic.
Robert Colon, Kitchen Program Director at Working Food, said “We help our clients navigate all aspects of opening up a food business from educating them on the requirements of the local
and state regulatory authorities, acquiring permits to coordinating and planning the equipment use.”
The kitchen is a modern commercial facility where members can rent space to prep, package and store their culinary products. This unique collaborative and entrepreneurial environment allows members to access shared equipment and supplies for their cooking and baking needs.
Working Food ensures a safe and empowering environment for members to work, build their businesses and give back while developing their skills. The kitchen’s large facility can accommodate several clients at once.
“Since we have such a large kitchen, two groups can share the kitchen simultaneously, doubling its occupancy. We could have one client prepare hot sauces with someone making cupcakes since they use different equipment,” Colon said.
With 24/7 access, members use the shared kitchens to plan and prepare a variety of quality and delicious dishes. Local chefs can efficiently prep, cook, package and store their goods, which helps them expand their range of culinary offerings and create more business opportunities.
The benefits this type of commissary kitchen can bring are heartening. Dan Shaw, better known as Dan the Cheese Man, from The Salty Cow Cheese Mongers is a shining example.
“We had to shut our business down during COVID. We had to shut our kitchen down and move five cities away to start over again. When Working Foods called with their kitchen availability, we were able to start the food business back up, making cheese again immediately. We wouldn’t have been able to do that without Working Food,” he said.
In addition to the collaborative aspect, Working Food offers sustenance and support to its members. They mentor multiple members and provide educational training sessions on food handling laws and regulations, business etiquette, marketing and nutrition. These opportunities allow members to deepen their knowledge, hone their skills and expand the vision for their startups.
Ivan Perez from Taino Roots Artisan Kitchen’s story is motivating. Landing in Greater Gainesville from Puerto Rico only a year and a half ago, Perez found Working Food’s service to be an immeasurable contribution to his business’ success.
“Working Food has been a blessing for my business. Robert has been so helpful. The support has been so important to me for the growth of my business, and every day gets better and better,” Perez said. “I can do everything here, from cooking and storage to creating my seasonings and cooking bases for my recipes.”
Working Food supports the local economy by incubating small, local, food-based businesses with:
- Shared commercial kitchen facilities used by 35+ food and beverage entrepreneurs –– expecting to double in the next year
- Cold and dry storage space for food truck operators, caterers and chefs
- UF Culinary Arts Certification partnership
- Women’s Farm2Food Accelerator collaboration
Working Food commissary kitchens is truly transforming the way small food businesses can operate, creating more opportunities for local economic growth. Its positive impact provides an unprecedented freedom for small and minority business owners, entrepreneurs and food startups to launch and grow their businesses.
FUN FACTS:
More Than Just a Community Kitchen
Working Food also has other community programs that empower young people to learn, grow and lead through culinary education.
Youth Garden and Culinary Learning
- Three community gardens: elementary students cultivate plants, healthy eating habits, and collaboration
- Young Chefs classes: hands-on culinary education with local, heritage ingredients for middle and high school students
- Students develop skills and passion for becoming local food community leaders
Seed Collective
Working Food is a local champion for building self-sustainable communities through its regional seed hub! It strives to provide Alachua County with the appropriate seeds for its climate, educating locals on how best to leverage them. Not only that, Working Food proudly works regionally and nationally to ensure crop varieties are preserved and protected for generations to come.
Working Food partners with many organizations, individuals, and institutions to make its Seed Collective possible:
- University of Florida
- Field and Fork Campus Food Program
- Plant Science Council
- Hector Perez, Associate Professor at the Seed Biology Lab
- Danielle Treadwell, Associate Professor specializing in organic farming systems, cover crop management, vegetable production, conservation tillage
- Kristin Joos, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Mickie Swisher, Professor of Sustainable Agriculture in the Family, Youth and Community Sciences Department
- Community people like you! We work with gardeners and farmers in our area to help grow our local seed network!
- Tomato breeding project with local tomato guru Tim Noyes and mentor from Raleigh, NC, Craig LeHoullier
- Grow Hub and Farm to School to Work Hub
- The Utopian Seed Project
- Culinary Breeding Network
- Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance
- Seed Savers Exchange
- Seeds of Preservation Independence
- Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
- Organic Seed Alliance