Ready to take the next step?
When you’re trying to launch your food business, you’ve got a lot on your plate. You need to find a commercial kitchen, obtain the proper licenses, and then find time for production. Figuring out how to put your plan into action can be overwhelming. You should have access to the support you need to be successful.
Build Your Business Strategically
Reduce Startup Costs
Building a commercial kitchen is very expensive. Reduce those high start up costs by sharing space in our kitchen. Fully licensed and compliant with the local health department as well as Ohio Department of Agriculture and the FDA, we can help your company navigate the inspection process.
Access Updated Facilities
Our newly renovated commercial kitchen is equipped for all types of food businesses. Caterers, bakers, food trucks, meal prep – if it’s food-related, we’re the place for you. Food truck owners can successfully operate out of our parking lot. You can even tackle your planning or host an event at our nearby coworking facility.
Be Positioned for Growth
With the right facility, equipment, and guidance, you can focus on taking your business to the next level. When you work alongside another entrepreneur, you may even find a partner or collaborator. As your business grows, you’ll need more time in the kitchen. No problem. You can flex your plan to meet your changing needs.
Turning your passion for food into a business is a massive venture. We can help.
Our staff and members started right where you are and have grown and expanded their businesses. We’ll help you through the difficult processes of inspections, packaging, marketing, and certifications so you can focus on growing your food business. You’ll be able to streamline your startup process since the Entrepreneurs’ Kitchen is fully compliant with all regulatory agencies including Richland County Public Health Department, Ohio Department of Agriculture, and the FDA.
Memberships are convenient and cost-effective:
- We’re just 60 miles from Cleveland and Columbus off of I-71 and Route 30 in Mansfield.
- At $15 per hour, you pay less than you would for shared-use kitchen space in a bigger city.
- Receive a business mailing address to improve communication with your clients and vendors.
- Members park for free at our building. Even food trucks can park, do their prep work and empty waste.
- Since we’re on one floor, loading in and out is a breeze.
“I became a Kitchen member because I wanted to start out catering without having a lot of risk. Idea Works allowed me to start out small with the clientele I had and build my way up. Anyone interested in cooking, catering or starting a small business in the restaurant industry should consider the Entrepreneurs’ Kitchen at Idea Works.”
– Walter Bonham, The Food Lab
“By becoming a Kitchen member I was able to sell my product online and in other states. It also opened up opportunities with some customers who may frown on “home produced” items. I would recommend people become a Kitchen member to help them grow their online sales mainly. Plus it offers a good clean place to work that might be a chore to have at home.”
– Richard Yoder, Uncle Rick’s Secret Recipe
Our mission to rebuild the local food chain
Food matters to us. So much so that part of our mission involves supporting and rebuilding our local food chain. We collaborate with Richland Gro-Op, and The Ohio State University at Mansfield in conjunction with their Initiative for Food and Agricultural Transformation (InFACT) program.
Together we are building capacity for university-community partnerships to address issues such as racial justice and environmental sustainability. Idea Works made an investment of over $100,000 to help the micro farmers get a solid start when they formed their business, Richland Gro-Op. By providing them free, unlimited access to the kitchen, they have a fully licensed facility to collect, sort and pack their produce for distribution.”
We are always looking for new opportunities to collaborate with other area businesses to help with the long-term goal of building a vibrant, thriving food campus.
Membership Levels
LEVEL 1
$9.99 per month
- $15/hour
- Dry storage per unit – $25
- Cooler storage per unit – $50
- Freezer storage per unit – $50
LEVEL 2
$250 per month
- Includes 20 hours
- Additional hours $15 / hour
- Dry Storage per unit is included
- Cooler Storage per unit – $50
- Freezer Storage per unit – $50
LEVEL 3
$350 per month
- Includes 40 hours
- Additional Hours $15/hour
- Dry Storage per unit included
- Cooler Storage per unit included
- Freezer Storage per unit included
How to Join
1. Contact Us
Fill out the form or give us a call. We’ll schedule your tour of our kitchen. Do you have other ideas for using the kitchen that you don’t see listed? We would love to hear from you, and we’ll work to accommodate your request.
2. Take a Tour
Once you’ve had a chance to see the Kitchen and learn more about it, you can decide if it’s the place for you.
3. Join Our Community
Enjoy 24/7 access to the Entrepreneurs’ Kitchen. When you are working together in the kitchen with other members, you build relationships and potential for collaborations.
Shared-use Kitchen Space for Food Entrepreneurs
Food is a universal language. We believe food entrepreneurs should be able to access the right facility and resources to grow. The process of buying or leasing your own space is too expensive and time consuming, but we can help you!
The Entrepreneurs’ Kitchen offers shared-used kitchen space for food entrepreneurs to strategically grow their business. We work with caterers, food truck operators, bakers, meal services, food delivery businesses, pop up carryout businesses, and packaged food preparers. By becoming a kitchen member you gain access to our facilities, coaching to pass your inspections and the connections you need to grow your business.
As a nonprofit, we’re on a mission to rebuild the food chain in north central Ohio. That’s why we’re investing in the facility to make food entrepreneurs successful.