New commercial kitchen at the Muskegon Farmers Market promotes entrepreneurship, nutrition, and food

Housed at the Muskegon Farmers' Market, the new rentable commercial kitchen, Kitchen 242, was designed in the spirit of a two-fold mission: first, create a space where food entrepreneurs can make a low-risk investment in developing their new business and centralize other strategic resources that can help them succeed along the way; and secondly, provide a more engaging avenue for educating the community about nutrition and healthy food. 

“It was modeled as 60 percent entrepreneurs and 40 percent education, and what we’re hoping is that we can start to build on the education piece,” says Dana Gannon, education and event coordinator for Kitchen 242 and a nutritionist with the Muskegon County Health Department. 

At 1,520 square feet, Kitchen 242 boasts all of the fixings of a fully-furnished commercial kitchen, including a range, griddle, convection and conventional ovens, cooler, workspace, and cold/dry storage. The kitchen is equipped with professional quality appliances for cooking and refrigeration and includes a selection of pots, pans, and sheet trays that can be used onsite, but all other small wares like foil or plastic wrap are left to the individual renters. 

The space is available to individuals, organizations, and new businesses at hourly rates of $20 for prep work, and $25 for baking, processing, or catering. Block rates are also available for the kitchen space with advanced reservation, designed largely to eliminate long-term leases and facility management/maintenance costs for new entrepreneurs looking for a workspace. 

Gannon says as a bonus feature, any individual who rents out Kitchen 242 is also eligible for a free stall at the Muskegon Farmers' Market, complete with a promotional banner. 

Kitchen 242 was formed in a collaboration between the Downtown Development Corporation, the Muskegon County Health Department and Pioneer Resources, who received a $200,000 appropriation form the budget of the Department of Agricultural and Rural Development to help fund the project, with additional donations from Trinity Health and other area organizations. 

Kitchen 242 comes during a campaign for federal funding launched by the city to create a new downtown food hub, Gannon says. Both the community kitchen space and plans for a future food hub crafted in a collaborative effort are intended not only to spark more economic growth in downtown Muskegon, but also to help address the disparity in access to fresh food and nutrition education that has put the region near the bottom of the county health rankings for the past decade. 

“If we can make this a education kitchen, as well, then we can change the dynamic and the face of Muskegon, working to make Muskegon one of the healthiest counties by 2021,” Gannon says. 

For more information, visit Kitchen 242's website or find them on Facebook here.  To learn more about how to start your own food-related business, check the Michigan State University Product Center online and explore its how-to guide for getting started. 

By Anya Zentmeyer, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of Kitchen 242