For-Lease Kitchen Space Coming Soon

When an independent food vendor outgrows its kitchen, owners either have to invest in a larger space or scale back production.Constructing a new kitchen can be a large investment, not always feasible for small businesses. But scaling back production isn’t normally something a business owner strives for. This is where Dick Roberson is planning to enter the scene with a for-lease kitchen space, The Busy Chef commercial kitchen.

Robertson owns the building at 413 Glacier Ave. in Redmond, which is under renovation. When it’s completed, he will overhaul the space to include numerous area for food prep, cooking and storage. The busy Chef commercial kitchen will provide small food vendors with a large, commercially licensed kitchen without breaking the bank. After its planned opening in February, The Busy Chef will be the only for-lease kitchen of its kind in Redmond, Robertson said.

“We want to provide a place for local food processors to utilize that will cost $10 to $30 an hour, until they can make that leap into their own kitchen,” Robertson said.

The idea came about after Robertson spent a couple of years trying to fill the building. No tenants were found, and Robertson began searching for other ideas about a year ago. Jose Balcazar, who works at Central Oregon Community College’s Small Business Development Center, made a presentation about the need for this type of service in Central Oregon for local food processors, which convinced Robertson of the idea. “I thought, ‘Wow, that sounds really good,'”Robertson said. “So we decided to do it.”