It can cost an aspiring chef up to $100,000 to start a commercial kitchen from scratch. But a new incubator in the old Famous Dave's near the Mid-America Center is allowing food businesses a joint space of their own.
The shared commercial kitchen is run by the Omaha Chamber of Commerce. The Omaha Chamber, Council Bluffs chamber and Iowa West Foundation pay for the space and bough top equipment. Each chef pays a monthly leasing fee, and in return, gets access to all of the equipment from utensils and cutting boards to mixers and a walk-in fridge.
The staff hope they will have 20 business owners sharing the space in the Kitchen Council by the end of 2018. They will have a ribbon cutting on Feb. 6.
