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HATCHING GREATNESS
Culinary incubators play an important role in the Queen City’s restaurant community. — B R A N D O N W U S K E
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HE ROAD TO SUCCESS IN THE FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY IS FRAUGHT WITH exorbitant expenses. Restaurant leases, equipment purchases, and steep utilities all stack the odds against food entrepreneurs. Luckily, an ingenious solution has helped folks with a dream and a talent for cooking soar over these hurdles and make an indelible mark on our local and even national food scene. Meet the culinary incubator. Culinary incubators like Oakley Kitchen Food Hall, Findlay Kitchen, and Incubator Kitchen Collective offer shared space and equipment, often at a recurring or per-use fee. Members typically include budding food entrepreneurs looking to make a name for themselves through ventures like pop-ups, catering services, and take-home meal kits as well as more established restaurateurs looking for extra prep space and equipment. Many culinary incubators also provide other crucial services to those looking to build a successful food business, such as help with marketing, networking, business planning, packaging, and logistics. The nine vendors at Oakley Kitchen sell 115 consumer goods at nearly 50 retail venues. Campfire Foods, which operates Oakley Kitchen, provides occasional packaging and logistical support to get all of those goods to retail establishments throughout our region. Of course, you can also sample the tasty wares at Oakley Kitchen itself because members serve made-to-order meals out of on-site eateries. It’s a great way to try several cuisines (and a few libations, thanks to full-service bar The Factory) in one communal location. Its list of members, while small, is quite eclectic, with Indian, Middle Eastern, Italian, Hawaiian, 1 1 6 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A U G U S T 2 0 2 2
FYI
Findlay Kitchen 1719 Elm St., Over-theRhine, findlaykitchen.org Incubator Kitchen Collective 517 W. Seventh St., Newport, incubatorkitchencollec tive.org Oakley Kitchen Food Hall 3715 Madison Rd., Oakley, oakley-kitchen.com
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