We’d just opened when Erica Leahy of Three Daughters Baking Co. rented our commercial baking kitchen for the first time. It was 2018, and renting a professional kitchen by the hour was just what she needed: a low-risk way to scale her start-up food business. She could vend at local farmers markets while she built a small […]
Category: Featured Entrepreneurs
Black History Month in the Kitchen
While there are many Black-owned food businesses at Garden State Kitchen, we want to highlight two members who cooked in the kitchen this month. In honor of Black History Month, meet vegan chefs and lifestyle coaches Plant Based Planet, and Bro-Ritos, a growing company with iconic green food trucks and incredible burritos. Plant Based Planet […]
ICYMI: Workshop on How to Sell at Pop-ups & Farmers Markets
Did you miss our January workshop? Every winter, we host a lively panel discussion where the pros explain what it takes to sell artisanal food at farmers markets, pop-ups, and events. This year – our fifth – Dawn Estrada of Cake Jars and Rashida Sawyer of Shi’s Cakes & Things shared their experience vending at […]
Need Professional Kitchen Space for the Holidays?
If you own a small food business and are looking for production space, Garden State Kitchen may be a good fit. It is for A’jar Sweet Cream Factory, shown above at their retail location in the American Dream Mall. This family owned and operated dessert-in-a-jar bakery makes creamy sweets from famliy recipes enjoyed for generations. With everything […]
6 Kitchens Ready When You Need Them
With six different kitchens for rent by the hour 24/7/365, we’re here when you need us, for as long as you need us. With no monthly fees or minimums, Garden State Kitchen offers an easy, low-risk way to start or keep your small food business growing. Here’s how some of our members do it: 🚚 […]
See Who’s Cooking in the Kitchen
All six of our kitchens, from prep to baking to catering, are humming with activity this summer. Here’s what some of our members are up to. Herbalist Ricardo Da Costa (above), owner and founder of Yogic Chai, rents space to brew his organic masala chai concentrate and package his award-winning loose leaf blends. He launched […]
Former Pop Star Finds the Sweet Spot in the Kitchen
Meet April Harris, founder and owner of Keeping You Sweet. April joined Garden State Kitchen when she suddenly lost access to the commercial kitchen where she was making her vegan and gluten-free desserts. Losing production space is never great, but when you wholesale to Whole Foods Market, you need an immediate solution. We hear this […]
A Day in the Kitchen: Garnish Reimagines Overnight Oats
Meet Connor Sterphone and Jared Prince, the partnership behind Garnish. You’ll find their beautiful jars of vegan overnight oats online and at shops and cafes in NJ and NYC, but before that, you’ll see Connor and Jared making their creations at Garden State Kitchen. To meet customer needs, they book the large windowed large prep […]
Highlighting Black Businesses in the Kitchen
Since it’s Black History Month, we’re highlighting the Black-owned businesses headquartered at Garden State Kitchen. Our support, however, doesn’t begin and end with the month of February. Every day, we celebrate the creative Black chefs, bakers, caterers, event planners, and cooking teachers working in the kitchen. Read on and learn about their food and business […]
How to Start a Food Business: Secret Squirrel Cookies
When tattoo artist Paula Lopez found herself stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, she started baking cookies. And then she baked some more. With her tattoo parlor closed for months, she became obsessed with improving her technique and flavor combinations, and Secret Squirrel Cookies was born. Since ingredients were scarce during quarantine, Paula sold […]