A kitchen or
culinary incubator is shared kitchen space for new or early-stage “food
entrepreneurs.” Many begin from home
under Florida’s
“Cottage Industry” Law. All hope to elevate their “cottage business” to the
next level but that requires a larger, relatively inexpensive, professional
facility.
The concept of
shared kitchen provides relatively inexpensive space and overhead (rent and
utility) because costs are divided among users. An incubator adds the element
of technical assistance (a little hand holding through the process) to the
shared kitchen experience.
Equipment for a
basic commercial kitchen costs at least $ 150,000 and depending on the area,
hourly rents fluctuate between $ 17.50 and $ 25.00 per hour.
Making a
product, be it grandmother’s cookie recipe or a killer salsa, is the easy part.
Learning the legal, product-development or marketing elements of the
business is tough. No matter how great a product might be, if no one knows
about it or if it’s hard to find, chances for success are zilch. Culinary or
kitchen incubators offer reasonable options that include supplemental education
that help entrepreneurs strengthen their business plans to navigate the
intricacies of distribution and comply with regulatory procedures. A crucial
component for “food entrepreneurs” is the ability to discover, at an early
stage, if they have what it takes to get into the food business.
Discovering that option, early on, saves potential “food entrepreneurs” money,
headaches, heartaches and overall frustrations.
Community Caring Center of Greater Boynton Beach
is located at 410 East Boynton
Beach Blvd. (Boynton
Beach, Florida
3343). The Center’s (561-364-9501) a
nonprofit kitchen incubator program aimed at offering practical business
training and mentoring. The center is a licensed
State of Florida,
Department of Business and Professional Regulations, Hotel and Restaurant and
Department of Agriculture approved facility, for the preparation and sale of
food. For information, appointments or
to learn more about the center, contact Sherry Johnson, the Center’s Executive
Director at 561- 386-4261.
In the
Community Caring Center of Greater Boynton Beach, Inc., d/b/a The Secret Garden
Café, a Culinary Incubator Program’s commercial kitchen, one finds caterers, personal chefs, bakers, street
vendors, cake decorators and producers of specialty food items such as
condiments and candies. Kitchen space is shared and scheduled to accommodate
individual needs. The fee-based system recognizes that entrepreneurs generate
little or no income during the first five start-up years; therefore rental fees
are lower than other commercial kitchens that may rent space to tenants on an
hourly, daily or monthly basis. Tenants
at The Community Caring Center sign a kitchen booking agreement that details
the initial requirements to rent space, including providing copies of business
license from both city and county, food management or handler
certificates and food vendor license from either or both Florida Department
of Business and Professional Regulations
or Department of Agriculture.
Chefs, bakers
and caterers who prepare their food at the Community Caring Center of Greater
Boynton Beach's culinary incubator, can sell their creations at
the Secret Garden Café in the Cafe/Bakery/Deli Departments. The Secret Garden
cafe is perfect for High Teas, private dinner parties, wine pairing events, and
small groups needing a special meeting room. Sunday Brunch, (beginning
September 7, 2014) catered weddings and special events are also available. For questions or reservations, the café can
be reached at 561-752-8598.
Suzana Sagy Macario, SCORE
Counselor
