Church kitchen available for food entrepreneurs

Now that the Can-Do Kitchen has moved out -- it's relocated to the new People's Food Co-op site on Harrison -- First Baptist Church is looking for new ways for its kitchen to be used.

Can-Do Kitchen offers mentoring and more for beginning food businesses and for many years it used the church's licensed commercial kitchen to help the new businesses get started. At one point, 10 businesses used the kitchen.

Now that Can-Do has a new home, the church is offering space to those who need a commercial kitchen to prepare or store foods.

The idea is that the kitchen would provide a place for entrepreneurs who have already made it past the initial stages, and no longer need the mentoring types of services provided by Can-Do.

The kitchen is available from from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It offers a refrigerator, freezer storage, an industrial dishwasher, a pizza oven, and a large stove, grill and oven. Rental rates are to be negotiated.

A cheesemaker currently is using the kitchen. Baked goods, salsa, Indian foods, bean dip and granola are some of the foods that beginning business owners have created in the kitchen. Classes also can be taught there.

Pastor Mary Beth Sarhatt says they have no intention to try and duplicate what Can-Do Kitchen does or compete with them. The church does not have the people or expertise to offer such services. Rather, the intent is to offer the kitchen as an outreach mission of the church and as a way to continue to bring in revenue.

"We found that when the businesses were using our kitchen they became part of our community here," Sarhatt says. "We want to continue to build those relationships. They're nice to have."

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Dr. Mary Beth Sarhatt, First Baptist Church