Communal kitchens
Dense urbanization is creating a need for smarter use of spaces, while budding culinary entrepreneurs are looking for more cost-effective options when it comes to getting started in the business. Taking cues from the explosion of coworking o ces, co-cooking spaces are opening up around the world to cater to the growing desire for a place in which to not only innovate and network but also cook and socialize.
In July 2019, Samia Bingham, founder and CEO of culinary services start-up Flavours Culinary Group, won the Small Biz Challenge in Los Angeles, hosted by the UPS Store and Inc magazine.
The Maryland-based winner is using her prize money to launch Flavours, The Culinary Complex, a kitchen incubator where chefs and culinary specialists can innovate and network with other members of the culinary community. The hub is set to open in summer 2020.
WeWork launched WeWork Food Labs in spring 2019 in Manhattan, initially as a membership-based scheme. The WeWork Food Labs New York flagship and its first accelerator program both launched in October.
Menachem Katz, head of operations at WeWork Food Labs, tells Wunderman Thompson Intelligence, “WeWork Food Labs aims to empower innovators across the food and agricultural space, giving them the tools and resources they need to create sustainable solutions that address challenges both within our own community and on a global scale.” Accepted start-ups receive investment from WeWork, and access to industry experts, investors and VCs, as well as workshops and events, not to mention space in the R&D kitchen.
Mission Kitchen will open its first two London co-cooking facilities in 2020. These also offer mentorship opportunities, events and professional kitchens for their members. Co-cooking isn’t just for professionals, however. Communal kitchens are opening up in countries like Japan where apartment space is limited. Kitchen Studio Suiba in Tokyo was designed as a rental space where users can cook for each other, as well as a place where food and drinks businesses can interact with their customers.
Why it’s interesting: With space at a premium and costs for kitchen equipment prohibitive for many, co-cooking kitchens are a practical and sociable solution for home chefs and culinary specialists alike.
