February 27, 2008
Purdue cooks up workshop to focus on community kitchens
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Community kitchens may be beneficial to local producers who want to become entrepreneurs. The Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service will sponsor a workshop called Starting a Community Kitchen, which will be held at five different locations across Indiana.Dates and locations are as follows: April 2 in Indianapolis, April 9 in Crown Point, April 30 in Fort Wayne, Oct. 8 in Madison and Oct. 15 in Vincennes. Programs run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time.
"Community kitchens are an economic tool for turning locally grown commodities into something that can be sold all year long," said Kevin Keener, Purdue food science professor and a workshop speaker. "Producers need a commercial facility to process the food correctly and create a product for the commercial market."
The teaching team will discuss topics such as sanitation requirements, the costs of starting a kitchen, staffing considerations, liability issues and facility inspections. Along with the teaching team, a local financial representative and an economic development representative will make up of a panel to discuss financing aspects of starting a commercial kitchen. They will speak about grants, loans and other available assistance programs.
Keener will talk about the requirements that facilities need to fulfill before they can become regulated kitchens. Some of these requirements include washable, non-stick surfaces and sloped floors. He also will discuss how you can turn an existing building into a kitchen.
Others on the teaching team include Elaine Fisher, Ball State University director of the Office of Building Better Communities; Steve Franks, Gateways program manager of the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center; Shirley Vargas, wholesale supervisor for the state's food protection program in the Indiana State Department of Health; and Linda Wood, regional director for the Southeastern Indiana Small Business Development Center.
Registration is $75 per individual or $60 per person for a group of three or more. The fee covers lunch, refreshments and a binder of information. Registration deadlines are as follows: Indianapolis, March 26; Crown Point, April 2; Fort Wayne, April 23; Madison, Oct. 1; and Vincennes, Oct. 8. To access a registration brochure go online to https://www.agecon.purdue.edu/newventures/calendar.html and scroll down to April. For more information, contact Keener at (765) 494-6648, kkeener@purdue.edu.
Writer: Hannah Brescher, (765) 494-8402, hbresche@purdue.edu
Sources: Kevin Keener, (765) 494-6648, kkeener@purdue.edu
Jerry Nelson, (812) 886-9582, jnelson@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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