The Food Ventures shared-use commercial kitchen is a fully-licensed facility where local entrepreneurs, caterers, pushcart vendors, civic groups, and producers of specialty food items can legally manufacture their products at an affordable hourly rate.

The kitchen is managed by a micro-enterprise professional who can provide food-based businesses with specialized assistance such as help with product development, batching up recipes, selected appropriate packaging materials, and sourcing lower-cost ingredients.

The kitchen also has equipment available for entrepreneurs to rent for special events.  Equipment includes chafing dishes, CAM carriers, hotel pans, coffee urns, table cloths, skirts, and flat-top griddles. 

Now located at 51 Colonial Circle (St. John's Grace Church), Food Ventures commercial kitchen is available to entrepreneurs seven days.

To arrange to use the Food Ventures shared use commercial kitchen please contact the Food Ventures Project Coordinator, Deidra EmEl, at 716-882-5327 ext. 6 or 4.

Policies & Procedures

BACKGROUND

• FOOD VENTURES, a program run by the Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP), has access to a Shared Use Commercial Kitchen and dry and cold storage spaces located at St. John's Grace Church (51 Colonial Circle, Buffalo, NY 14213)
• FOOD VENTURES manages the Shared Use Commercial Kitchen to local food-based entrepreneurs on a 24/7 basis.

GETTING STARTED

• FOOD VENTURES entrepreneurs must have the following documentation to use the FOOD VENTURES Shared Use Commercial Kitchen: liability insurance, health permits, any other required licensing to run the entrepreneur's business.  (Entrepreneurs have up to three months to acquire these documents upon entering FOOD VENTURES).
• All entrepreneurs must go through a MANDATORY KITCHEN ORIENTATION AND FOOD SAFETY WORKSHOP upon entering FOOD VENTURES
• The first ten hours of kitchen use are free to new entrepreneurs

KITCHEN FEE SCHEDULE

• 1st Shift (5am-3pm)- M-F- $12/hour
• 2nd Shift (3-11pm)- M-F- $11/hour
• 3rd Shift (11-5am)- M-F- $10/hour
• Weekends- $10/hour

SCHEDULING

• Monthly schedules are to be handed in to the FOOD VENTURES Program Coordinator on the 25th of each month for the following month (if date falls on the weekend then by the following Monday).
• In order to cancel a scheduled time, the entrepreneur must call by 12pm the day before the scheduled time.  If the entrepreneur fails to do so, (s)he will be billed for the scheduled hours.  The FOOD VENTURES Program Coordinator will be the only authorized person to change the calendar.
• To make/add dates for kitchen use, the entrepreneur must schedule at least by 12pm the day before.  If you are not on the schedule, you are not authorized to use the kitchen.

PAYMENT

• Invoices will be mailed the first week of each month for the previous month.  Full payment will be due no later than due date on invoice.  If the payment is overdue the entrepreneur will be charged a $10 late fee.
• Kitchen time is prioritized for one person usage at a time.  Up to two people can use the kitchen according to FOOD VENTURES Program Coordinator's approval.  User's can overlap one hour into the previous user's time.
• If an entrepreneur has an overdue balance of $100 or more they will lose kitchen privileges until payment arrangements are made.

STORAGE

• All storage is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
• Storage fees are included in kitchen rental fees.
• Dry storage will be on the stage of St. John's Grace.  Each business will have a locked cabinet to place dry goods and business items.
• Cold storage may be found in the St. John's Grace commercial refrigerator and MAP's commercial freezer.

STORAGE CLEANLINESS

• All storage areas, including dry, cold and freezers, must be kept free of debris
• ALL items must be contained in rubber/plastic or glass bins/containers and labeled with your name/business and date.
• If your storage is unkempt, you will receive one written warning and be given 48 hours to correct it.  If it is not corrected in this time, the Program Coordinator will clean and organize your food stuffs and you will be fined $100 and denied access to the kitchen and storage areas until the fine is paid.

GENERAL KITCHEN MAINTENANCE

• There will be a deep cleaning of the kitchen once a month.  The FOOD VENTURES Program Coordinator will call on groups of entrepreneurs each month to help with the cleaning.  Names will be rotated (for example, if you clean the kitchen in January, you will not be called to participate in February).  Those entrepreneurs will be entitled to one coupon for a free business workshop.

ASSESSMENT, TRAINING & ASSISTANCE

• To continue in the kitchen, entrepreneurs must be willing to grow their business and participate in one-on-one counseling sessions at least one hour a month with the FOOD VENTURES Program Coordinator and participate in business training workshops.
• Periodically, you will be asked to present financial statements inventory lists upon request.  This will help the FOOD VENTURES Program Coordinator to assess your business progress in order to help you with your goals.

In order to participate in FOOD VENTURES, participants must understand and agree to all FOOD VENTURES Policies & Procedures.