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The Incubator and Accelerator Kitchens
About Our Kitchen
The Incubator Kitchen Program utilizes commercial shared-use kitchens to help scale production and solidify operations for new food businesses. Since 2014, 90 entrepreneurs have moved through this pipeline. The shared-use model lowers both risk and cost of entry, provides access to one-on-one mentorship, trains in food cost analysis and labor controls, provides food safety training and certification, and assists in building standard operating procedures. The kitchens also offer free career and workforce training as well as an educational workshop series.
Rent Our Kitchen
Our Maker Kitchen equipment includes:
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Four 8 foot x 3 foot stainless steel worktables
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Vulcan 12-burner stove with two commercial ovens
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Duke convection oven
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Variety of appliances, small wares, and kitchen essentials
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Multiple sinks for hand washing, food preparation, and dishwashing
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Dry and cold storage for an additional cost
Click here to view our Rate Sheet.
Meet Our Makers: The Rathbun Accelerator Kitchen & Food Hall
The Rathbun Accelerator Kitchen at Allen Neighborhood Center is a new food hub for graduates of our Maker Kitchen. The kitchen is housed at 1615 E Kalamazoo and offers four different makers access to shared equipment, a storefront, and a small public dining room. Come in and see what the chefs are cooking for lunch or dinner!
This shared-use kitchen offers a ‘next step’ in the journey of small-scale, food processing infrastructure for entry-level food entrepreneurs. The nature of this space reduces obstacles for entrepreneurs looking to increase capacity and operate in their own brick and mortar establishment. While using this kitchen, Makers are able to take on more financial and operational responsibility while also having access to business mentoring and support.
Tantay was born of a vision of introducing a community that Jose loves to a country that he adores. He chose the name because it means “to join together.” The goal of Tantay is not only to give patrons an authentic Peruvian culinary experience but also to create a sense of community around a common table.
Dine in and let Tantay bring the taste of Peru to you!
Don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for the Tantay Food Trailer events all summer long!
Check out a little more about Jose start up!
Hours:
Wednesday to Friday 11:00am to 7:30pm
Mr. Leslie’s Cheesecakes started with Marcus Leslie Sr’s love for baking as a child and grew into a regular hobby, with friends and family coming to expect his delicious baked goods at every event. They have expanded to local stores so anyone can pick up a cheesecake when they’re in the mood for an authentic cheesecake experience.
(517)-618-1763
Preorder here!
Check out this interview with Mr.Leslie!
Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Available at Capital City Market, Woodward Corner Market, And Greater Lansing Meijer Locations!
Hong Kong Restaurant has always been a standout of Lansing. Na Zhang has taken the lead in bringing authentic and family favorite dishes to the area. They will be featuring some of their best recipes, dumplings, and steam buns in this shared use restaurant.
(616)-965-1518
Hours:
Monday to Friday 11:00am to 8:00pm
Meet our Makers: Kitchen Entrepreneurs
Teff-rific
Teff-rific dishes offer delicious and authentic Eritrean and Ethiopian dishes. At the center of Teff-rific’s menu is teff – a naturally gluten-free grain that is packed with a handful of essential nutrients.
Rahel Musa started Teff-rific to share her family's favourite foods with everyone including her signature Yima’s Sauce. Vegans, vegetarians, and meat-lovers alike can all enjoy the flavorful and unique dishes offered by Teff-rific.
Please contact Rahel for more catering information at rahel_m2003@yahoo.com.
Katrina created this brand with the intentions of inspiring others to relax, unplug, and indulge in a self care moment each day. A nice brew of tea helps create an energizing moment for affirmations in the morning, solitude for reflection in the evening, and everything in between. These blends are natural, crafted with ingredients that make you feel good, and inspired by things that make me feel good.
Young entrepreneurs that are passionate about Lansing and creating business ideas that will not only thrive in Lansing, but make a lasting impact. Their niche is craft edible cookie dough and ice cream. Hoping to bring everyone back to the days of their childhood when their mom told them not to eat all the cookie dough.
4th generation baker making delicious, from scratch baked goods in Lansing. They can regularly be found at Farmers Market Pop-ups around the area. They customize baked goods for weddings and parties, and are always on point when it comes to pączki season!
Hobie’s is an “honest to goodness” family-owned and run East Lansing tradition. It was established by Ernie St. Pierre fifty years ago in Trowbridge Plaza at the corner of Harrison and Trowbridge Roads in East Lansing. Today, Hobies enjoys a different business model, catering from the Allen Neighborhood Center kitchens.
Hobie’s has been providing delicious soups, sandwiches, wraps, and salads to nearly three generations of MSU students, faculty, and staff. The fare has been popular throughout the area since 1962.
hobieskitchen@yahoo.com
G3Food4All is all about making food everyone can enjoy. They specialize in Gluten free and Allergen free dishes, with emphasize on Italian and Latin American cuisine. Many recipes stemming from adapting family favourites, don’t miss out on their specialty dinners or take n’ bake specials!
A BBQ catering business that is adept at handling Weddings and special events. They utilize a custom reverse flow, Cherry and Hickory fed smoker to achieve traditional Texas style BBQ. They have a their own custom BBQ sauce line that can be found at many local retailers!
Tammy specializes in Cotton Candy and other sweet treats. They spin Cotton Candy at events and you can find their products in Horrocks, Capitol City Market, and Kean’s anytime you’re feeling a sweet snack.
Jay’s Dogs is all about fun! Capturing that excitement you feel at a festival and the food that goes with it. Jason brought his vision for event food from Georgia and always delivers. By joining community events, he hopes to make them all memorable through the excitement Jay’s Dog can deliver!
Mitten Mixers’ goal is to bring delicious, infused cocktails into your home, by committing to creating new, innovative cocktails that you can enjoy, and that can spice up any event.
Harnessing the amazing abilities of sea moss, Natures 92 LC, is creating fruit smoothies that contain many essential minerals. Sea moss is also been used for skin care as well. Removing dark spots, diminishing wrinkles and restoring elasticity. This is all done in a mission to help us reach stable health.
Catch them selling these smoothies and skin care products at Middle Village Micro Market.
Become a Maker
The Maker Kitchen, powered by Lake Trust, is available for entry level and/or small businesses interested in creating packaged food products or ready to eat food. Our Incubator kitchen program is curriculum-based, with milestones and objectives for growth and business development. This is your step-by-step process for becoming licensed to reserve and use the Maker Kitchen.
Step 1
Start by enrolling in the Greater Area TREKHUB resource guide. This will help you learn more about the entrepreneurship opportunities and resources available in the area. Even if you are in an idea phase this is your first step towards getting up and running!
Step 2
Become familiar with the Allen Place facilities, including the Maker Kitchen and the Wash-Pack Kitchen. We want to ensure the success of all of our incubation program participants by making sure that the facilities and our program curriculum will meet your needs. During this initial meeting, we can also direct you to the appropriate commercial licensing agency, given the nature of your product. Follow the link below to schedule a tour:
Step 3
Begin the process of obtaining appropriate commercial licensing through either Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) or Ingham County Health Department (ICHD).
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Packaged products require licensing by MDARD. Be sure to read MDARD’s New Business Guide prior to contacting your inspector. Ask us for a copy.
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Ready to eat products require licensing by ICHD and will undergo a plan review for the proposed menu.
Step 4
Once you have worked with the licensing agency and completed all of their forms, they will ask you to schedule our kitchen for your licensing meeting. The meeting with your licensor (ICHD or MDARD) will last 1 or 2 hours. During this time, the licensor will observe your food preparation, likely offering suggestions and guidance. At the end of the licensing meeting, the licensor may approve you immediately (and give you a temporary license) or require additional steps. A flat rate of $25/hour will be charged for the licensing meeting.
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MDARD will require that packaged products that are manufactured in our kitchens require our address to be included on the label of the product. Make sure that the label reads: 1629 E. Kalamazoo Street, Lansing, MI 48912.
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Plan to arrive 30 minutes prior to your licensing meeting to receive a kitchen orientation from our kitchen manager. This will include a review of our procedures, introduction to our kitchen equipment and supplies, and generally getting more familiar and comfortable with the space. Doing this in advance of your licensing meeting will enable you to make efficient use of your time with the licensor.
Step 5
Secure commercial liability insurance, naming Allen Neighborhood Center as “additional insured”. A good first step is to check with your home or auto insurer to determine whether commercial liability can be bundled into your other policies. If this option is unavailable to you, we can recommend a local insurer who has worked with several of our incubation program participants.
Step 6
Read carefully and complete our Kitchen User Agreement form. The form describes much of what you will need to know in order to rent the kitchens, e.g., scheduling, cancellations, and other policies of a shared-use kitchen.
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Note: there is a $50 start-up fee due when you turn in the Kitchen User Agreement.
Step 7
Once all requirements are met – license approved, insurance secured, application completed, and start-up fee paid – you may reserve time in one of our kitchens. At that time, consider not only kitchen needs, but storage needs (e.g., walk-in cooler space, refrigerator or chest freezer space, pallet shelving, closed cabinet shelving, etc.) You may also vend at our shared maker table in the Allen Farmers Market and post in our Food Hub wholesale, online market at no cost.
Meet our Makers: Incubator Kitchen Graduates
A microbrewery proudly serving craft beer brewed in small batches with a five barrel Psycho Brew system built right here in Michigan. Other house fermented products include craft seltzer, wine, and hard cider. And don’t forget their artisan pizzas, featuring many local products.
1101 S. Washington Ave
Lansing, MI 48910
Sweet Encounter is a gourmet bakery & café specializing in scrumptious, made from scratch gluten-free, soy-free, and peanut-free desserts.
SE Kids Culinary Academy is a monthly culinary cooking club infused with STEM activities designed to educate and cultivate a love for cooking in kids.
228 S. Washington Ave. Ste. 100
Lansing, MI 48933
(517) 763-2479
Tatse serves up quick service Nigerian rice bowls for dine in and delivery. Aside from dinner, it transformed into Handi Wraps and Suya Bugas as it made the transition to a more college facing location.
“In Africa, our food influences our community by supporting and nourishing the spirit on every level. Our views, values, humor, and hopes all stem from how we feed ourselves. So we wish to put our culture first in the meals we will prepare; which we believe will lead us to a better and more diverse community.”
515 East Grand River,
East Lansing, MI 48823
(517) 929-8722
Maureen Abood’s market came to life out of her desire to share with you the ingredients and tools that help make her Lebanese dishes such a pleasure to cook, share, and eat. Every item here is carefully created and thoughtfully curated for you—a truly unique selection of her favorite things inspired by our shared love of all that is wholesome and of the very highest quality.
1607 E Kalamazoo St.
Lansing, MI 48912
Caley has been brewing kombucha in Lansing Michigan as close to the traditional way as possible while focusing on sourcing local Michigan ingredients. Standing behind a product that knows all of its growers. Check out their products at brick and mortar or at any of their retail partners.
3415 E Saginaw St
Lansing, MI 48912
Joan started her catering business with the Allen Neighborhood Center. She impressed guests with a myriad of custom menus for events, but focuses healthy business lunch caterings.
Life’s special moments deserve a celebration.
Events for friends, family & loved ones can often be the most stressful to coordinate. An Affair to Remember Catering takes all of the guesswork out of planning a flawless fete that is festive and fun. Whether hosts have a vision of their own or need some creative direction, our talented team of professionals can materialize plans and visions into one of the most memorable moments of a lifetime.
Chef Lucia’s specialties are most European and Latin cuisines, but she can customize and cook any genre of food specifically for your event.
(517) 348-9418
Joy! Cakes was born from a divine mistake on thanksgiving day in 2015. While Cooking for her family, Delilah mixed two recipes and the results led to the Joy! Cake Muffins. Original tasters said her cakes brought on memories of family, and love, and the “joy” of holidays associated with such desserts. By pairing a passion for excellent service with clean and high quality ingredients; allowed them to stand out from other specialty desserts in the Detroit area.
18551 Grand River Ave
Detroit, MI 48223
(517) 449-7359
BRITE Bites exists to help you make healthier choices in the simplest way possible. We get it, swallowing pills is a pain. That’s why they decided to put your daily probiotic in a flavorful, shelf-stable bite. By combining nutrient-rich ingredients with gut-healthy probiotics you will have the vitality and the capacity to live a happy and fulfilled life.
Motembo Foods is dedicated to providing the highest quality foods that are sustainable to our environment and taste delicious. Their break out products include a ramp butter and seasoned butter blends. It’s an experience when you’re enjoying unique flavors from fresh, unique, feel-good foods that our team stands behind, wholeheartedly. No additives or preservatives.
Connect with us!
For more information about the Incubator and Accelerator Kitchen, please contact
Abie Kopacz
Kitchens & Events Manager
(517) 999-3942