Bay View food pantry, business incubator to share renovated kitchen

MILWAUKEE - The Bay View Community Center unveiled a new commercial kitchen Monday that is at the heart of a big renovation.

The much-needed upgrade is not only service the center's food pantry, but also food business owners. 

"This place has always had a very special place in my heart for a very long time," said Chef A.J. Dixon.

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Patience and love are important ingredients in any big project, something Dixon knows well. The Milwaukee chef has been a leader in the restaurant industry and also helped make the kitchen a reality.

The past six months have been focused on updating the community center's kitchen from the 1950s. The idea to renovate the kitchen started when the need for the food pantry grew. In 2019, more than 100 people were helped per month; that figure has risen to more than 1,300 last month.

Bay View Community Center kitchen upgrade

"We needed more efficient storage of all the food that we get," said the center's Mike Mortell.

The kitchen debuted to the public Monday night, and the space won't just be used for the center's food pantry. It will also serve as a food business incubator.

"We would use it 15 hours a week for our purposes, but the balance of the time it could be used by a community for starting up a business," Mortell said.

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The space will be rented out to help businesses focused on baking, allowing startups to grow with some added mentoring. It is a concept everyone at Monday's opening believed is a recipe for success.

"Having this alone as just a space someone could rent to get up and going is a huge cost-saver," said Dixon.

The rest of the building got some needed upgrades as well. The $730,000 project was paid for by donations, a grant from the city and a loan. The center's executive director expects to start renting out the kitchen by January.