Tennessee Community Commercial Kitchens Are Heating Things Up
In partnership with: Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Community commercial kitchens are popping up across Tennessee and helping to heat up the state’s culinary culture.
Not only do these kitchens give food-based businesses access to equipment and appliances at an affordable price, they also make it possible for food-industry entrepreneurs to get started or expand their offerings without breaking the bank. Additionally, they help create a more vibrant local cuisine scene – a true win-win for the state’s producers and consumers.
“Community commercial kitchens help ensure a safe and wholesome food supply because all food is prepared in a controlled, regulated environment, and that is our No. 1 priority,” says Mike Brown, food business consultant for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
The department facilitates marketing and funding programs, such as the Pick Tennessee Products branding platform designed to help food manufacturers thrive.
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“Plus, these kitchens are the fastest and most cost-effective way for people to get involved in food production, and that obviously contributes to a healthy economy.”
With its grand opening held in June 2019, the Culinary Arts Center in Columbia is already helping enhance and transform Maury County’s food scene.
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Creating a Culinary Playground
The facility features a certified commercial kitchen for small- to mid-scale food producers, including local chefs, caterers and food trucks, and offers cooking and nutrition classes for folks of all ages. The center can also accommodate “pop-up” or temporary restaurants, and it’s a favorite spot for area organizations to host large-scale meals.
“We offer a little bit of everything,” says Jami Saunders, founder and co-owner of Columbia’s Culinary Arts Center. “We want to help local chefs build and promote their businesses, and we are committed to Columbia and Maury County. The more variety we can offer in terms of food and restaurants, the more tourists we’re going to attract and the stronger our business community becomes.”
Located in the city’s Arts District, Columbia’s Culinary Arts Center offers business development courses, too, which give attendees advice on marketing their food-based brands and using tools like social media and photography to tell their stories.
“Our motto is ‘cook, teach, learn, grow,’ and I think we’re embodying that very well,” Saunders says.
To find a commercial kitchen in your area, visit tn.gov/agriculture/consumers/food-safety/commercial-kitchens.
