Chiknegg Incubator Kitchen in Goochland, VA began operating in 2013. This space offers a mixture of traditional kitchen prep space for food entrepreneurs and classes for consumers, in addition to a cozy setting for chefs to offer pop-up meals.
“We especially enjoy assisting those who are in the beginning stages of launching their business.”
With a mission of “helping emerging food businesses break out of their shell to become successful food entrepreneurs”, they’ve achieved an A+ BBB rating. Several of their clients have earned the prestigious “Virginia’s Finest” label, and one even received the highly coveted “Best New Product” award at the 2016 Virginia Food and Beverage Expo!
Clientele – Includes those in the very beginning stages of their food business venture, experienced bakers, caterers, food truck operators, and wholesale value-added food producers.
Kitchen Facility Features
- Dry storage
- Cold storage
- Walk-in freezer storage
- Several 20-quart floor mixers
- Meat slicer & grinder
- Deep fryer
- Small kitchen wares for rent and more. Check out their equipment list!
- Special events
- Packing room
- Delivery location
- Teaching kitchen
- Demo kitchen
Programming – Chiknegg is more than just a pretty space! They offer a wide variety of classes and services to round out their business model. These include:
- ServSafe Food Handler Training and ServSafe Food Handler Manager Certification
- Cooking classes
- Other classes: Soap making, cookie decorating & farmers’ market vendor training
- Food business consulting
Social Impact – Clearly, this is a food systems-focused kitchen! Kitchen manager Lisa Dearden runs two farmers markets and is the executive director of Chiknegg’s sister nonprofit: RVAg. RVAg’s purpose is to create and grow venues for local farmers and artisans to be able to offer their products directly to consumers; to market those venues; and to cultivate community engagement using local food as a common link.
What’s new at Chiknegg? They’re accepting new clients – at any stage!
Want to learn more about Chiknegg?
Check them out on The Food Corridor, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
