Creative Food Ventures is a state of the art inspected community kitchen which provides 2500 square feet of commercial production space that serves the High Country region. There will be a variety of products produced in the kitchen by both new entrepreneurs and existing food based businesses. Creative Food Venture has the equipment to support the following category of products.

• Individual Catering businesses
• Baked goods (breads, cakes, pies, etc.)
• Farmer adding value to produce
  (bagged vegetables, apples, slices, etc.)
• Specialty food producer: frozen products (pies), canned/jarred products (salsas, sauces, dressings, pickles and etc.), and refrigerated product (fresh salsa, dips, etc.)
• Herbal products for human consumption (teas, spice mixtures, etc.)
• Dried products (tomatoes, mushrooms, apples, soups, etc.)

In addition to the production side of the kitchen there will be freezer storage, walk in cooler and dried goods storage space, which can be rented. The kitchen staff are working closely with the Small Business Center at Wilkes Community College to offer seminars on food based business start-up and with Appalachian Regional Development Institute's Entrepreneurial Development Courses.

We are developing a website in which Creative Food Ventures along with other producers can market products. Each item produced at the Creative Food Ventures kitchen will have the web address on their label so that consumers can reorder items when they run out. Along with the website, we are trying to collaborate with shop owners along the Blue Ridge Parkway; plans are for shelf space in these shops where items produced in the Creative Food Ventures kitchen will be displayed and sold. We also hope to do gift baskets that feature locally produced foods.

We will periodically host an open house and tours to encourage folks in the region to make use of this spacious, state of art kitchen. The staff will be on hand to answer questions and work with future entrepreneur to develop business plans and look at the feasibility of starting a food based business.

For More information please contact:
Creative Food Ventures at 336-982-5127.