BEACON Pilot Kitchen, a project by New Hill Development Corporation (New Hill), was born from a 2019 community visioning process conducted in partnership with the City of Charlottesville and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). More than 200 residents, merchants, service providers and Black business community members were engaged in the process for future development of the Starr Hill neighborhood in Charlottesville, VA. After learning that community members shared a deep desire to start businesses but felt the barriers to entry were too great, New Hill began its journey to develop a culinary incubator and create the Black Entrepreneurial Advancement and Community Opportunity Network (BEACON).
The goal of BEACON Pilot Kitchen is to be a space that brings community together while helping food businesses thrive. It serves as an incubator and accelerator for new businesses and a gathering place for the Charlottesville community. BEACON launched the shared-use pilot kitchen to advance economic opportunities for Black entrepreneurs in the food space. They help provide access to resources that are required in order to establish and maintain a thriving business in the food service industry.
BEACON Pilot Kitchen removes some of the most significant financial barriers that entrepreneurs face, like retail store space and capital expenses for equipment. In a community that has more than 400 restaurants, with less than 20 being Black owned, BEACON felt it was long overdue to truly diversify their food ecosystem and level the playing field. Their pilot kitchen can be rented as a flex venue that can be used for cooking classes, corporate, public and private events, pop-ups and so much more. BEACON recognizes that every entrepreneur’s journey starts with increasing their knowledge base. They’ve created a Food Business Bootcamp, to provide food businesses with the opportunity to work with seasoned executive chefs through the help of their friends at Culinary Concepts AB. Thanks to their partners in Charlottesville, they are able to bring needed support to all aspects of the local food chain.
Looking Ahead…
BEACON is continuing to build on the momentum of their pilot kitchen with the launch of their 10,000 sq. ft. kitchen space, set to open in the first quarter of 2024. This kitchen will have the capacity to support up to 70 food businesses, will be available to serve entrepreneurs 24 hours / 7 days a week and can be rented on an hourly basis or with monthly membership. It will support a variety of food businesses to include lifestyle, farmers, packaged products, caterers, food trucks and more. The kitchen will promote knowledge sharing, innovation, and collaboration throughout the local food ecosystem. BEACON is excited about the additional opportunities they’ve leveraged since the launch of their pilot kitchen. They look forward to further developing relationships that generate business for entrepreneurs, continuing to reach their goal of supporting ongoing operational development.
Interested in hearing more shared kitchen conversations? Check out our Kitchen Conversations Series.
