Photo: Bay View Community Center
Bay View Community Center Food Pantry kitchen
Bay View Community Center Food Pantry
The Bay View Community Center (BVCC, 1320 E. Oklahoma Ave.) is upgrading its original kitchen to a commercial kitchen facility to serve dual purposes: enhance its food pantry while moonlighting as a food business incubator.
The commercial kitchen will be available for rent to small-batch food entrepreneurs beginning January 2024. The kitchen upgrade is part of BVCC’s extensive renovation to the building, which was built in 1957. Other building upgrades include new sidewalks, a new roof, solar panels, new flooring, lighting and ADA accessible facilities.
Mike Mortell, president and CEO, says they began evaluating the kitchen space three years ago and realized it was underutilized. “It has so much potential. We use the kitchen for our food pantry and cooking classes, but we recognized that we only used it 15 to 20 hours a week.”
Seeing a dearth of commercial kitchen rental space in the Milwaukee area to serve small-batch food entrepreneurs, he says it made sense to have a space available for them.
Focus on Baking
The BVCC food incubator kitchen will cater to bakers. The space features a commercial three-tiered electric deck oven designed for artisan breads, pastries, pizzas and other items. Each deck has a stone baking surface. The oven also has a steam generator, which enhances the appearance and texture of the crust. The solar panels help power the equipment, thus making the kitchen more sustainable.
Other features include a new hand washing sink; a separate prep sink with the required three basins to wash, rinse and sanitize equipment; stainless steel tables on wheels that can be moved into different configurations; induction burners for cooking; a floor mixer; and a storage area with a freezer and cooler.
Mortell says they omitted equipment such as gas appliances or deep fryers, which would require a ventilation hood, due to the cost of equipment and maintenance.
The BVCC partnered with local chef and restauranteur A.J. Dixon, who also teaching cooking classes at BVCC, to assess needs and select commercial kitchen equipment.
A Modernized Food Pantry
Photo: Bay View Community Center
Bay View Community Center Food Pantry curbside
Curbside delivery at Bay View Community Center Food Pantry
Having a commercial facility will benefit BVCC’s food pantry in several ways. They sometimes have leftover produce from the influx of donations during each growing season. The commercial kitchen will allow them to turn extra produce into soup, sauce and lasagna for later distribution.
The extra space will also allow BVCC to implement a choice model, where food pantry users can select their own food instead of receiving a pre-packed box. Letting people choose what cereal or soup they want, rather than receiving a pre-packaged box, results in less waste and brings more dignity to the process, Mortell notes. “It also gives us an opportunity to interact with people to find out what their other needs might be and refer them to other services to build more financial stability.”
The renovation included a new double-door loading space to accommodate the 8,000-plus pound food deliveries BVCC receives from Hunger Task Force. Pallets can now be wheeled right into the building. Previously, they had to be left out back, and volunteers had load boxes individually onto the carts and bring them into the building during all kinds of weather.
There has been an exponential uptick in BVCC food pantry users since 2019. Mortell shows figures from 2019 (pre-Covid), when the pantry served 112 individuals per month. Early in the pandemic, that number rapidly exceeded 500 per month. In August and September of 2023, the pantry served over 1,350 individuals each month. Mortell cites factors such high housing costs and overall inflation as driving factors.
The BVCC kitchen will also continue to host classes and workshops. They draw people that also participate in BVCC’s other programs such as bingo and card groups.
The total building renovation project, which includes the kitchen, cost approximately $730,000. It was paid for by donations, grants and a loan.
“It was more efficient to look at the cost of the whole building and make all necessary improvements to operate several decades into the future,” Mortell says. “It’s really about being good stewards of facility.”
For more information about the Bay View Community Center, services, or to volunteer, visit bayviewcenter.org. To inquire about food incubator space, visit forms.gle/u2etb1bQVa4kz4vH7.
