Looking to rent a kitchen for food production in the Albany/Troy area? I am looking to find out how many people can commit to subletting such a work space.

The space:

Approx. 800 sq ft with storage space, in South Troy on 3rd Street. 1st floor of an owner-occupied building. Not a storefront. No signs. No customer parking spaces. No Ansul system. This space is a low-key production-only space.
This space has a very basic set-up that I have been using for my cooking business for two years. I rent it. I sublet it out to others. Fee is currently $10 per hour. The idea is you leave it as clean as it was when you came in.

The Rensselaer County Health Department has inspected and approved this space for my work. Ag & Markets has also inspected it and approved it for my work. Depending on what kind of food you're making & how you're selling it, you may need to get your own Ag & Markets permit. You and your staff must abide by county health department rules. Any health code violations affect all users of the space.

The equipment is very simple. A standard household electric stove with oven. A household microwave. A standard kitchen sink is the hand-washing sink. A standard shower stall in a bathroom is the mop sink. There is a small 3-bay sink with an open drain for ware washing and sanitizing. Work surfaces are standard kitchen counter tops and a couple of regular tables.

Right now there is a 20 quart mixer, a Robot Coupe, a Kitchen Aid mixer, large salad spinner, and various pots & pans, strainers, and utensils. Three household size refrigerators and one upright freezer. These items, plus the 3-bay sink, all belong to my business, but they are available for use with the sublet.

I have some equipment that is not set up, but might be in the future ... a 2nd electric stove and oven, and a Jenn-Air grill system.

The story:

I have rented this space for close to two years. My lease is up at the end of 2009 and I have told my landlord that I am not renewing my lease. HOWEVER, (a) he doesn't want me to leave and (b) people keep telling me they know someone who wants to rent a kitchen for their business.

My issue, I have another business, which is doing well. 2009 has been hard on my cooking business and I have decided to cut way back on the cooking I was doing ... a lot of it was for promotion of my personal chef business .... and stick with just personal cheffing and put the rest of my time into the other business. For that plan, I don't need a commercial kitchen.

So many people keep suggesting to me that maybe there is some way a bunch of us like-minded types can band together and make a group kitchen happen. The space is here and operating, so I'm tentatively exploring the idea. I have put a lot into this kitchen, so of course I'm having a hard time just walking away from it.

SO, if you are ready to be a part of something like this, please email me. If I could conceivably fill up a calendar with chefs/food prep people who are renting the existing kitchen space, then maybe I would keep it going. Currently, there one small business that sublets one day a week during the farmers' market season, and every other week the rest of the year. I have a couple that bakes cakes and they sublet every once in a while. I've had a few inquiries that haven't panned out. I have another interested chef coming to look at the space.

Management of the space could be some kind of automated or team effort. It needs some thought.

Anyway, I'm interested in hearing from serious small business folks who are ready to commit, sublet, and get to work. This isn't a promise of rental, I am simply trying to gauge interest and see if this is worth doing.

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Thanks,

Lori Doyle