Louisiana’s first kitchen incubator for culinary entrepreneurs has opened in downtown Shreveport.
The rentable-by-the-hour commercial kitchen is located inside Cohab, the co-sharing office space under the Texas Street Bridge. Aspiring restaurateurs can rent the kitchen and be able to serve directly from Cohab’s lunch counter that mimics a restaurant set up, according to Cohab's executive director John Grindley.
"It’s a one-stop shop for them to be able to serve out of, prepare out of, and actually run a pop-up restaurant from soup to nuts," Grindley said, standing in the kitchen's expansive prep area. "Basically, they get to try out a recipe and have people show up. We think it’s a great solution to downtown because people are always looking for new lunch spots.”
Food truck owner, Ange Posey, served the first lunch from the kitchen Wednesday. She started her burger and sandwich business called “Some Like it Hot” about a year ago. She moves around to different locations in Shreveport and updates her Facebook page so patrons know where to find her.
But this was a special day. Posey served her fare from a spacious kitchen and customers weren’t exposed to the elements as they enjoyed their bacon stuffed burgers. But Posey is still attached to her lunch trailer, even though she admits the commercial kitchen has its plusses.
“It is good to be in a kitchen like this because it is permanent. On the way over here, my jalapenos spilled all over, and so I have jalapeno juice all over the floor of my trailer," Posey said. "It’s nice to be here and know that things are going to stay in place. There are complications in the trailer that I don’t have here.”
Cohab’s lunch series features emerging food vendors in the area on a weekly basis. Today and Friday, Ki’ Mexico will serve out of the kitchen incubator, which is called Cookhouse@Cohab. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
