The Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC) is encouraging aspiring entrepreneurs and start-ups to apply for space in its shared commercial kitchen, the Entrepreneur Space, which offers low-cost kitchen space and growth opportunities to small businesses.
The space, located at 36-46 37th St. in Long Island City, was launched by QEDC in 2010 and boasts 12,000 square feet of shared kitchen, office and classroom space.
QEDC says the space, which consists of four separate kitchens, is designed to provide small businesses with a low-cost opportunity to scale up their product, with rent starting around 40% cheaper than at a for-profit venture. Businesses can rent a kitchen in eight-hour shifts, with daytime shifts starting at $230 and evening shifts available at cheaper rates.
The space also offers a variety of first-rate equipment, eliminating some of the biggest costs associated with starting a business.
“They’re using ovens, they’re using burners, they’re using electricity,” Katherine Gregory, managing consultant at the Entrepreneur Space, told QNS.
Gregory, who has been involved since QEDC launched the commercial kitchen in 2010, said applicants are never outright denied if they apply for a space in the kitchen. However, she said QEDC will only accept businesses “when they are ready,” adding that she will work with new businesses to ensure that they are listed as legal entities.
Ben Guttmann, executive director of QEDC, said the organization also offers a variety of other initiatives to ensure that start-ups and entrepreneurs are business-ready, including education to help people form LLCs, courses on the basics of business accounting and assistance with Minority-and-Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) certification.
Since launching in 2010, the space has seen 820 different entrepreneurs come through its doors, crafting a variety of projects from hot sauce to dog biscuits and from cookies to hummus.
Each business is encouraged to go at its own pace and can use the space for as long or as short as they like, Gregory said.
“We have had people here who are here for only two years, others who are still here after seven years,” Gregory said. “We’re not telling them what to do. We don’t have a timeline that says you’ve got to move on. They have to decide what they want to do.
“Some of them don’t want to be a million-dollar business…. we’re really focused on each individual and making sure that they’re doing what they want.”
Andrea Meggiato and Michelle Jimenez-Meggiato became a million-dollar business after using the space, however, after the pair struck a deal with Lori Greiner on Shark Tank in 2021, receiving $125,000 for 15% equity for their Pizza Cupcakes. The frozen cupcakes are now sold at major retailers like Walmart and Costco, reporting over $20 million in sales since featuring on the hit show.
But the Entrepreneur Space affords equal opportunity and attention to small businesses that are happy to remain small businesses, Gregory said.
Guttmann, meanwhile, said the shared kitchen concept allows businesses and start-ups to share notes and ideas.
“It’s not just a kitchen,” Guttmann said. “It’s a community.”
The space also features dry and cold storage facilities that are available to businesses at below-market-rate prices, while QEDC will provide education on how to properly package and store goods in order to comply with regulations in the city.
Guttmann added that the “modest” fees that QEDC charges businesses for storage aim to teach new businesses the basics of budgeting.
Auria Abraham, the founder of Auria’s Malaysian Kitchen, has been making traditional chili paste sambal and other products at the facility over two separate stints since 2013.
Abraham, who recently appeared on the Drew Barrymore Show to chat about her company, credited the Entrepreneur Space with helping her to find her feet.
“I knew nothing about food,” she said. “But when I had the idea for this, I came here and I sat with Katherine and she said, ‘this is what you need to do.'”
Abraham added that Gregory taught her how to standardize her recipes and run a food business before giving her other “homework.”
“This is where you learn,” Abraham added. “We all don’t come here knowing how to run a food business. Most of us just come with a recipe or an idea.”
By working in the Entrepreneur Space, businesses also have control over packaging their final product, Abraham said. She added that she had previously attempted to outsource packaging after her first stint at the commercial kitchen had come to an end but said she often dealt with breakages and shoddy workmanship.
“These are glass jars. You need to deal with them a certain way,” Abraham said.
Gregory asserted that the space aims to empower entrepreneurs to achieve whatever ambitions they hold.
“People come in here with a recipe, passion and a dream. We take all of that and help them create something tangible, workable, profitable.”
