Local Group Seeks Community Kitchen for C-U

Before his death last year, Urbana chocolate-maker Daniel Schreiber proposed a community kitchen that could be shared by small-scale local food producers like him. Now, an organization is seeking community input as they try to make Schreiber's dream a reality.

Lawrence Mate is one of the organizers of the Flatlander Fund --- named after Schreiber's own brand of chocolate. He said they hope to open a commercial-grade kitchen that could be rented by local entrepreneurs --- including Mate himself. Mate operates This Little Piggy, a small producer of meat products such as bacon and sausage. Mate said because he works out of his home kitchen, his operation remains a non-profit private club.

"I've had any number of places in town where they have a deli counter, who have said they would love to carry the stuff I'm making," Mate said. "But in order for them to retail it, it's got to be coming out of a kitchen certified by the Public Health District."

Mate cites the dilemma in 2009 of some local bakers who sold goods at the Urbana Farmers Market, only to discover that their home-baked goods violated public health regulations requiring a commercial kitchen. He said a shared-use community kitchen could provide a certified facility for small food-related businesses.

Laura Huth, another volunteer with the Flatlander Fund, said a community kitchen could also serve a wider public, with classes on food preparation, nutrition and related topics.

"So in addition to providing a spark for artists - food artists, really - in our community to do what they love to do, there's the educational component, the hands-on demonstrations and the business development classes," Huth said.

The Flatlander Fund launched an online survey Monday night to measure public interest in a community kitchen. Huth said that as of mid-afternoon Tuesday, they had received about 70 responses. The survey is open until February 13 on the Flatlander Fund's website.

Shared-use kitchens exist in other communities. In Danville, the Cook's Workshop opened late last year, offering kitchen and dining room space for rent, as well as cooking workshops and demonstrations.