“You can see in the center of the floor, we have five workstations, which means five different businesses can work in here at one time.”
Bedford Collab co-developer DeAndre Wilson is sharing the blueprints for a new business he and partner Merrick Korach are building.
“...Up here is where our vertical hydroponic wall will be growing, which will have produce all year long for the residents.”
Wilson said 40-percent of Evansville is a food desert. “You're standing in a food desert. So this will be very helpful for the neighborhood.”
We’re standing in the 104 year-old building in Evansville’s Tepe Park Neighborhood, at the corner of Bedford and Madison. It’s surrounded by residential properties and it’s the future site of Bedford Collab.
A new space for the modern foodpreneur or “food entrepreneur” is coming to Evansville’s Tepe Park Neighborhood. It will offer kitchen space for rent to budding restaurateurs.
The building has been gutted already with new floor joists and decking and plumbing. It’s bare bones now, but Wilson said by the end of the year it will be restored and transformed into a professional shared-use community kitchen.
“There's gonna be no in-room or in-house dining,” he said. “All the dining will take place outside when we have special events. But this will be a shared-use kitchen, and we're excited to make it happen.”
This project has been in the works since 2020, and was among the multitude delayed by the pandemic. Wilson’s education is from Ivy Tech. He also has certifications and experience in catering and hospitality. Aside from CEO Korach, his team includes Jeff Gott, kitchen manager and Danielle Powell, recruitment and onboarding manager.
“The goal is to help increase the food culture here in Evansville, it's to help food startups,” Wilson said. “It's also to revitalize a neighborhood that's been disinvested for several years. Those are our three goals.”
When open, he said fees for the foodpreneurs will be à la carte. They could be daily, weekly or six-month rates. They’re flexible, essentially.
Wilson sees an opportunity to bring more international food to the city. Creole for example. They’ve been developing this program and fostering connections with 51 possible startups so far.
Style includes barbeque, and business models like food trucks and caterers.
“We do have some interests and individuals who are going to do canning. We have some interest from individuals that are going to make popsicles and candy.”
Said Wilson, “all of the foodpreneurs that have been working out of their house or a gas station or kitchen, they're able to come into an environment that is meant for them, that can serve them with all the resources and tools that we're going to have.”
These resources include wraparound services like On-Boarding Manager Powell to get these new professionals ready to utilize the space, which includes lots of storage and of course the “hot line” all laid out in those blueprints.
The second floor will be a prep kitchen. But to get to that point, there’s still a lot of work to do.
Remodeling has restarted this week. Foreman Chris Thomas and laborer Tanner Lowery with Fisher Total Maintenance are using angle grinders and hammers to remove old nails and glue from the cinder block walls.
They’re adding new foam insulation padding before they start framing the walls.
Wilson said they’ve raised about $500,000 under their non-profit organization, and that they’re still about $200,000 short, so fundraising continues.
You can follow them online and watch out for their informational sessions for anyone planning to utilize the space. The next session is September 14, and it’s on calculating food costs.
Support independent journalism today. You rely on WNIN to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Give to grow our local reporting today. Donate now.