Commercial Kitchen Opens Opportunities for Entrepreneurship in Salmon

The mission of the Salmon Valley Stewardship is to "promote a sustainable economy and productive working landscapes in the Salm River region of Central Idaho."  Since it was founded in 2004, SVS has completed a number of projects aimed at supporting conservation, education, and collaboration within the community. 

One of its newest projects is a mobile Community Commercial Kitchen, which provides a commercial food preparation space for local food vendors. This kitchen enables entrepreneurs to open and maintain their businesses without creating the financial barrier of constructing and maintaining an entire kitchen for each organization. 

The mobile structure needed a few finishing touches, including the purchase of a propane convection oven, a trailer skirting system for winterization, and a door/ventilation for the walk-in cooler shed. These were critical updates necessary to keep the kitchen open during the winter. "As the only licensed kitchen that's publicly available for rent in the area, it's so important that this resource stays open and has the equipment that businesses need to thrive," shared Cameron Rolle, the SVS Community Food Systems Manager. 

CHC Foundation was happy to provide a grant to make these purchases possible and support the work of what Rolle calls a "more connect, more resilient local food system for the Salmon River region."