A kitchen in common Food entrepreneurs get their start at a shared-use kitchen on the Near-Northside By Christopher Collins Photos by Meredith Rogers
One morning during the early autumn of 2009, Linda Gilkerson woke up from a dream with one word in her mind: cupcakes. Gilkerson had always been passionate about small business ownership when she ran a nonprofit focused on training budding entrepreneurs. But while lately exploring opportunities herself, nothing seemed to stick. Until cupcakes. It wasn’t long before she realized that making and selling cupcakes as a business venture required commercial-grade equipment, proper licenses and enough space for production. At the same time, Gilkerson knew some of her colleagues sought something similar: a place where food-centric startups could rent a top-notch kitchen and spin their dream ideas into official businesses without much overhead. Cupcakes became just a footnote to Gilkerson’s story. Today, she runs Indy’s Kitchen, the commercially licensed shareduse kitchen that she opened in July 2010 near 25th Street and Central Avenue. It houses roughly 35 tenants, including bakers, caterers, cooking instructors, food truck operators and farmers’ market vendors. They pay $14–$24 an hour to use the space, which is outfitted with the likes of a 30-quart mixer and a 10-burner gas range. Inside is a controlled chaos of slicing, chopping, baking, sautéing and frying. In this professional-grade kitchen, people know how to make the most of the space they’re given: The walls are lined with tenants’ supplies, and professional respect prevents any sugar theft. “If someone didn’t clean up after themselves, I’ll usually get an email,” Gilkerson says. Beyond simply providing cooking space, Indy’s Kitchen fosters a true food community. “The people who use it are so respectful and so thankful we’re here,” Gilkerson says. Ironically, if a tenant leaves the kitchen, it’s usually a good sign—it means they’ve outgrown the space. “It’s this odd
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thing that I’m working with people to help them grow to the point where they’re not my customers anymore.” Graduates, as Gilkerson calls them, include Kris Parmelee, owner of Avec Moi, a to-go and catering spot in Broad Ripple; Cara Dafforn, who has a line of slow-cooker mixes under the label U-Relish Farm; and Sonja Bannon, who makes Raw-To-Go snacks. Dafforn and Bannon have a stall at Indianapolis City Market. While researching the shared kitchen concept around the country, Gilkerson found a café with a shared kitchen in Chicago that seemed like a good model. Two trips later, Gilkerson, her husband and two other business partners were convinced this was the idea they were looking for. Indy’s Kitchen has a similar partnership with Monon Coffee Company Downtown. A swinging door separates the two businesses. When people rent kitchen space, they get access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Gilkerson keeps it easy: Tenants simply write in a calendar the times they need the kitchen, and she manages the schedule. The rental rates are structured so the more time you use, the less you pay. With her background in small business, Gilkerson finds she’s a mentor to some, but tries to take her own advice: “I tell startups, ‘You have to do it consistently,’ and we do everything we can to be the same way.” Even though they’ve been open a little more than a year, Gilkerson is already looking down the road. “The whole food truck thing is going to be interesting to watch,” she said. As the mobile food industry grows, so could the demand for Indy’s Kitchen’s limited space. “It’s going to be a challenge keeping everyone happy and have enough space for all the other stuff it takes to run this.” Details: Indy’s Kitchen, 2442 N. Central Ave.; 317- 690-9089; www.indyskitchen.com.
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