Community Kitchen Revolution

State and federal regulations prohibiting commercial processing in home kitchens have over the past few years spawned a new movement of shared community, or “incubator,” commercial kitchens. These shared kitchens may be operated by non-profit or for-profit businesses, but all are aimed at boosting local food production and economies.

In our region, the Wisconsin Innovation Kitchen in Mineral Point has a full-time certified staff available to prepare, package, store and ship small-batch, value-added products on behalf of small farmers and food entrepreneurs, allowing them to grow their businesses within their means.

A wonderful emergence from these incubator kitchens has been the idea of “community supported kitchens” (CSK). Sometimes initiated by a client and sometimes started as a side business by the kitchen owners to offset operating costs, a CSK is similar to the community supported agriculture (CSA) model, except that members buy into a season not of fresh veggies but of freshly prepared meals. It’s a perfect option if you want to eat local but are too busy to cook, or if an overflowing CSA box is more stressful than exciting. And it’s simple, too—place a cooler on the porch once a week and return home after work to dinner ready and waiting. One such program is the 608 Community Supported Kitchen, serving Mazomanie, Black Earth, Cross Plains, Middleton and Madison from the Heritage Kitchen in Mazomanie.

Community kitchens are expensive to maintain, requiring grants or a stream of regular clients to stay profitable. But with the increasing demand for value-added processing, even kitchens in small communities, like the Kickapoo Culinary Center in Gays Mills, have seen great success.

In today’s unpredictable economy, it’s refreshing and encouraging to see farmers and food entrepreneurs pull together in creative ways, cooperatively moving toward a shared goal of local resiliency.