New Ventures Opens Anson Community Kitchen
New Ventures Business Development, Inc., has completed construction on Anson Community Kitchen, a $302,000 shared-use certified commercial kitchen at South Piedmont Community College's Lockhart-Taylor Center.
Anson Community Kitchen offers farmers, caterers and chefs an inexpensive shared-use commercial kitchen to create value-added food products. This kitchen is certified by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources so products created in it may be sold to the public, unlike food products created in your home.
The project received support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Business Enterprise Grants program, N.C. Rural Economic Development Center, The Golden LEAF Foundation, Effie Allen Little Foundation, Elizabeth Burns Yost Trust, William A. Smith Trust, and Pee Dee Electric Membership Cooperative.
Anson Community Kitchen is a state-of-the-art kitchen permitted by the North Carolina Department of Environment and National Resources. It is available to anyone in the region who wishes kitchen access for production of food for public consumption and sale. The kitchen is established by New Ventures Business Development, Inc., in collaboration with South Piedmont Community College. Anson Community Kitchen is approximately 900-square-foot kitchen adjacent to the Ingram Community Room in the Lockhart-Taylor Center. The kitchen equipment is professionally designed to accommodate the needs of caterers/chefs and food entrepreneurs.
"In past surveys, NVBDI found that Anson County has a number of caterers without access to a public, certified kitchen," said Dr. Don Altieri, New Ventures' executive director. "Caterers can use the kitchen at Twin Valley Country Club, but cannot take the prepared food to another site."
Altieri said Anson Community Kitchen focuses on caterers and value-added products. 'With a commercial kitchen, caterers are able to prepare a meal and transport it to another location," Altieri said, adding that "others who may be interested in value-added products, such as jellies, jams, pickles, honey, salsa and chow-chow, can prepare their product in the kitchen for sale elsewhere."
NVBDI formed an advisory committee composed of caterers, value-added food producers, a representative from SPCC, a county environmental health representative and an architect with Stogner Architecture to plan the facility. The committee's inaugural meeting was held on July 18, 2008.
Altieri said Anson Community Kitchen is "a fully permitted facility where food producers can produce their food products legally." He said the kitchen will benefit "those interested in making and packaging specialty/gourmet foods in addition to caterers, cart/street vendors, and church, school and civic groups."
The commercial kitchen is a result of New Ventures' proactive approach to provide opportunities to Anson County's artisans and entrepreneurs. Information has been gathered by two outreach coordinators, one serving Anson County and one serving Union County.
NVBDI already has in place office rentals for entrepreneurs; Olde Mill Gallery and Studios, which displays, markets and sells the arts and crafts of Anson County artists and craftspersons; an on-line shopping stop at ebizanson.org, where web surfers may view, and purchase, “Made in Anson” items; and Anson Women's Center, a regional resource and advocacy facility for individuals and families that helps clients find the services they need to build confidence and become self-sufficient.