American Rescue Plan Act Impact Series 5: Continental Commissary Kitchen

Posted on: Apr 24th, 2024 | Announcements COVID-19

MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. -- Food is more than nourishment; it’s an economic driver across the Gulf Coast, and Mobile County will soon welcome a new commissary kitchen to help new small businesses scale worldwide cuisines.

Through $350,000 of Mobile County Commission funding made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a new collaboration with the Hispanic American Business Association of the Gulf Coast will expand economic and workforce opportunities for entrepreneurs in the food industry.

The Continental Commissary Kitchen, is shared kitchen and business incubator project. Leida Javier, president of the Hispanic American Business Association of the Gulf Coast (HABAGC), is leading the effort: “This is a workforce and economic development project that will change lives," said Javier.

“By investing in Mobile County’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through projects like this commissary kitchen, the Mobile County Commission can help spur economic mobility as more people will have access to facilities and tools to create their own properly licensed and permitted businesses,” said Merceria Ludgood, Mobile County Commissioner for District 1, who has championed this project.

Pre-COVID-19, Ludgood had seen a similar enterprise during a NACo (National Association of Counties) Economic Mobility Leadership Summit in Portland, Oregon. She connected locally with Todd Greer, Executive Director of the Innovation Portal, who connected her with HABAGC. Javier had seen an opportunity, particularly within the Hispanic community, to help women acquire the proper permits and other documentation to sell prepared food legally. The goal is to help them eventually become business owners.

"People have always cooked from their kitchens and would pass the food through their windows for the community to enjoy. Since the pandemic, more people are cooking from their kitchens, baking cakes, bread, cookies, and preparing other food for sale from their homes,” said Javier.

The Hispanic American Business Association of the Gulf Coast partnered with local community colleges to help more than 60 community members acquire food certifications and hands-on training to become small business owners. They attended classes for culinary skills, food handling, and other national certifications through two local community colleges – for example, Bishop State Community College’s program Culinary Skills with a Latin Flavor. Once the first classes graduated in 2022, Javier knew it was time for a bigger idea. “A space where they could prepare food commercially could be a game changer," she said.

A committee began planning and securing funding for a commissary kitchen. In 2021, Javier secured the initial investment by entering Mobile United’s Leaders Pitch Competition and winning a prize of $5,000. The project was moving forward, but funding from the Mobile County Commission’s ARPA allocation in February 2023 was the investment that moved the project to the next phase – a building. “With the County’s investment of $350,000, we were ready to look for a great space,” said Javier. Additional funding and in-kind donations will be needed to make this non-profit project self-supporting in the future.

The kitchen is in the 300 block of Azalea Road near the intersection of Airport Boulevard. “We wanted the commissary kitchen to be centrally located and it is the perfect spot!” said Javier. The space will not only be used as a commercial kitchen for entrepreneurs’ food preparation but will also have a multi-use area available for foodies and those involved with the commissary kitchen.

“The kitchen will include cold and dry storage, various preparation spaces for food trucks, and other food preparations. Volunteer chefs and food advisors will be invited for guidance and assistance,” said project communications lead, Danny Calametti. “Clients will have access to the kitchen by appointment through an innovative online system.”

Calametti explained, "besides cleaning and repairing existing equipment, we brought in a second cooking area, added a bakery space, and increased storage. The front of the house is getting a full makeover taking it from a bar scene to a clean, modern industrial-looking multi-use space with light colors featuring metal and wood accents,” he added.

Community partners in The Continental Commissary Kitchen, such as Bishop State, Coastal Community College, and the Innovation Portal, are already an important part of this project. Others that may help include the Mobile Chamber’s Business Navigator, the Alabama Extension Service, AARP, several local chefs, business leaders, and many others who are assisting with certifications, business development, planning, etc.

According to Javier, the commissary kitchen and multi-use space will be for those who love to prepare and eat good food. “It will be a space to experience the cultures and tastes of our region. This will be a hub for food exploration while helping new businesses launch and scale,” said Javier.

Shared-use commercial kitchens help people overcome barriers to entry in the food service industry and offer more inclusive economic opportunities. According to the Network for Incubator and Commissary Kitchens, Kitchens As A Service (KAAS) are a growing trend in the U.S. By providing affordable commercial kitchen space, KAAS can help strengthen local food systems, build community prosperity, and achieve a wide variety of impact goals like job creation, workforce training, healthy food access, nutrition education, farm viability and localizing the food economy, and even tourism.

“The new commissary kitchen will fill a need and encourage small business development,” said Ludgood. “American Rescue Plan Act funding provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity for investments that will further encourage post-pandemic economic recovery and growth efforts.”

The Hispanic American Business Association of the Gulf Coast’s The Continental Commissary Kitchen is one of many community impact projects supported by the American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds awarded to the Mobile County Commission by the U.S. Department of Treasury. To learn more, go to https://www.mobilecountyal.gov/american-rescue-plan-act-of-2021/.

To learn more about the commissary kitchen go to www.continentialkitchen.org.

Photos courtesy of the Continental Commissary Kitchen.