By. Emma Ault
Building and Enriching Evansville Food Businesses
To keep up with any Bedford Collab updates, follow them on Facebook at Bedford Collab facebook.com/bedfordcollab/
toward gutting the building, which was in disrepair after decades of abandonment. Through generous donors and partners, Bedford Collab is fully funded. On the ground floor, Bedford Collab plans to have five prep stations in the center, a 19’ hood system, two convection ovens, two standard ovens, a tilt skillet, a steamer and a broiler, as well as a three-compartment, twocompartment sink, and a dishwasher for clean-up. They also plan on adding a walk-in refrigerator attached to the building.
Bedford Collab is a newly
developing a shared kitchen in the Tepe Park area on the South side of Evansville, IN. A shared kitchen is a place where multiple food business owners can rent out space to cook and prepare their food. The idea for Bedford Collab started when DeAndre Wilson and his brother, Jeff Gott, started with a catering business called TurnTable. After being forced to move to two different shared kitchens in the area to cook their food, they felt the community needed a steady, welcome space for food entrepreneurs, or “foodpreneurs” as they like to say, to develop their skills in their business and foster a creative mindset. This involved anyone who is working on starting or continuing their food business in the Evansville area. Wilson states, “’Foodpreneurs is defined as food truck owners, caterers, bakers, anyone who is in the food industry that needs a grease trap to produce their product or service.” Bedford Collab is working to combat the inaccessibility of nutritious food and workspace in the South side and
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downtown by providing workspace for local restaurant and catering upstarts, while also trying to combat food insecurity in the community. “We don’t want the next generation of ‘foodpreneurs’ to go through what we’ve gone through,” Wilson says. “We need to actually do something about it now, so Bedford Collab is a low-entry access point for ‘foodpreneurs’ to get in here and run their business pretty simple. That’s how we are giving back. We want to simplify the process for those who come after us.” Bedford Collab, previously known as the Bedford Tavern, is a beautiful brick structure, with plenty of space for the imagination to run wild. Built in 1919, the building is steadily being renovated by DeAndre Wilson and his business partner, Merrick Korach. “It’s been a staple in the neighborhood,” Wilson says. “It was a laundromat at one point, a grocery store, and, of course, a tavern, so we want to keep it and bring it back to life.” Half of the $161,000 dollars raised for Bedford Collab in 2020 went
In one corner of the building, there will be extra prep space, and even a small spot for an outdoor pop-up for any “foodpreneur” to test a new product or dish. Upstairs will be more prep/kitchen space. “Foodpreneurs” won’t be able to cook upstairs, but that added prep space makes things easier for them to make homemade sauces, rubs, or soaps. In the basement, they plan on having lockable cabinets, a small library, and places for “foodpreneurs” to have some extra space. One huge innovation to Bedford Collab is their Hydroponic System Wall. The 12’x12’ surface will be able to grow fresh produce year-round without the use of soil. The space is also will open to pop-up events, for which outdoor seating will be available. Under a beautiful canopy of trees, this space opens up the opportunity to host other events, like galas, parties, and charity events, locally. Bedford Collab will be beneficial to those who have food trucks because it has a grease trap. “Foodpreneurs” who use grease to cook need a place to safely dispose of that grease, and Bedford Collab will provide that service
