It was a day of celebrating local food in Newport.
The Incubator Kitchen Collective opened Friday at 517 West Seventh Street, relocating from Covington to a larger space with more up-to-date equipment. The move allows the collective to better serve the growing local food community.
“With this larger space we can accommodate even more entrepreneurs than we ever thought possible,” said founder Rachel DesRochers, know for her Grateful Grahams and incubator efforts. “We are currently working with nearly thirty producers, and we’re constantly getting requests from even more.”
The size of the building will also allow for growth in the form of a regional food distribution/hub center in cooperation with Ohio Valley Food Connection, one of IKC’s tenants. “This for us is really one of the most exciting business opportunities we can offer to our tenants that they can’t find anywhere else,” said DesRochers.
IKC is the second Newport-based incubator kitchen for the company; “The Hatchery” is in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 7 Court Street. Newport Mayor Jerry Peluso and other city officials joined a crowd of more than 50 people as DesRochers and company cut the ribbon on the new spot.
RCN Live at the Incubator Kitchen Collective’s opening in Newport
Tenants offered up free samples of their products, ranging from pop cicles to spreads to ravioli to pickles, and more.
Incubator Kitchen Collective was started in September 2013 by DesRochers, owner of Grateful Grahams. She wanted to create a shared kitchen space to support foodpreneurs. In this ecosystem, there are systems in place to help businesses generate regional sustainability – from farmers markets to national retailers. There are currently four kitchens in the Collective.
Also in the works is The Collective Kitchen & Café, a local gathering spot and retail space where The Incubator Kitchen Collective tenants will be able to market their wares as well as serve them to the public. The Café will also serve as an important educational tool. “We’re looking forward to offering classes, meeting space, and education about the good, local food that’s made in our kitchens,” said DesRochers.
To oversee this huge development growth, DesRochers has hired Tristan Crigger, former head of Findlay Market’s Local Foods Department as Chief Operations Officer.
On Friday, DesRochers announced that the collective will launch a $200,000 fundraising campaign to continue its work and its growth.
For more information, visit www.incubatorkitchencollective.org.
