Many food processors start out small and cannot afford an expensive industrial kitchen and the movement to create “community kitchens” has been growing in response. A community kitchen is typically an industrial kitchen that is rented out by the hour or other small time-increment to small producers to support their processing and production of food.
Some resources around community kitchens include:
- Fresh Choice Kitchens – This site offers a great overview of what is involved in starting and running a community kitchen. http://www.freshchoicekitchens.ca/community-kitchens
- Community Kitchen Best Practices Toolkit – This is a good document outlining the issues involved in managing a community kitchen (from Newfoundland / Labrador).http://www.foodsecuritynews.com/Publications/Community_Kitchen_Best_Practices_Toolkit.pdf
- University of Wisconsin – This site from UW’s Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems offers an overview of considerations for successful community kitchens.http://www.cias.wisc.edu/economics/community-kitchens-key-elements-of-success/
- Kids in the Community Kitchen Toolkit – This is a good guidebook for kids’ programs in community kitchens. http://www.contactsouthsimcoe.ca/pdf/KICKProgramToolkit.pdf
- Toronto’s Food Share – This site has a lot of good information on food issues including information on community kitchens. http://www.foodshare.net/community-kitchens
- Community Kitchen Facilitator’s Guide – This is a good guidebook on being a facilitator or leader in in starting a community kitchen.http://cookingconnections.ca/sites/cookingconnections.ca/files/docs/Community_Cooking_Connections_Start-Up_Kit_English.pdf
- Australian Community Kitchens Assoc – This is the site of the community kitchens network in Australia.http://www.communitykitchens.org.au/