Bemidji commercial kitchen launches
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People in the Bemidji area wishing to turn local fruits and vegetables into raspberry jam, salsa or spinach pie for public sale now have a state-certified kitchen in which to do it. Harmony Co-op just opened its spanking new commercial kitchen, which is available to the public at an hourly rate.
The kitchen was almost three years in the works. I wrote about it last September, when the room still had exposed wiring and unpainted drywall. Harmony produce manager Lisa Weiskopf championed the kitchen along with Simone Senogles of the Bemidji-based Indigenous Environmental Network. They have big plans for the facility, including improving local eating habits and strengthening the regional "foodshed."
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(Lisa Weiskopf, photo by Jon Heller)
It's modeled on a similar facility in north Minneapolis called Kindred Kitchen and will come with all sorts of assistance for food entrepreneurs like help writing business plans, developing marketing strategies and meeting safe food handling standards.
According to Weiskopf, Harmony has already hosted a ServSafe workshop that was attended by 20 people, some of whom plan to make products in the kitchen. One person will bake gluten-free chocolate hazelnut tortes, while two others will bake bread to sell at a farmers market. Harmony is also working out a lease with a fledgling local micro-brewer, which MPR News' Tom Robertson reported on here.
In addition, the kitchen will host public cooking and nutrition classes, some centered on Native American foods. Bemidji is near three Indian reservations, where obesity rates are high.