Ashley Colpaart

Specialty food businesses, characterized as local, craft or artisan, produce unique and highly differentiated food items often made in small quantities from high-quality ingredients. Nationally, the increasing market demand for specialty food is simultaneously spurring a growth in food entrepreneurship and food businesses that need access to licensed commercial space. Due to their unique values, a subset of food entrepreneurs may be considered 'social entrepreneurs' who use their business as a… Show more

Specialty food businesses, characterized as local, craft or artisan, produce unique and highly differentiated food items often made in small quantities from high-quality ingredients. Nationally, the increasing market demand for specialty food is simultaneously spurring a growth in food entrepreneurship and food businesses that need access to licensed commercial space. Due to their unique values, a subset of food entrepreneurs may be considered 'social entrepreneurs' who use their business as a catalyst for social, cultural, or environmental change. This dissertation research model and hypotheses ... Show less

While the opportunity for sharing commercial kitchen space is growing, shared-use kitchens in the United States suffer from regulatory ambiguity that limits their potential. In 2016, The Food Corridor, LLC (TFC), with a mission to enable growth, efficiencies and innovation in local food systems, launched a software-as-a-service management platform to assist operators of shared-use kitchens. In observing the struggle of their clients in navigating the tricky waters of local departments of… Show more

While the opportunity for sharing commercial kitchen space is growing, shared-use kitchens in the United States suffer from regulatory ambiguity that limits their potential. In 2016, The Food Corridor, LLC (TFC), with a mission to enable growth, efficiencies and innovation in local food systems, launched a software-as-a-service management platform to assist operators of shared-use kitchens. In observing the struggle of their clients in navigating the tricky waters of local departments of health, conflicting state and county policy, and inadequate licensing options, they identified an opportunity to explore the national policy landscape for shared-use kitchens to help identify best practices and policies to support the emerging industry. Show less

These reports are the result of 53 in-person interviews with child care providers across the state of Colorado at 28 child care centers and 25 day care homes. The reports, one concerning day care homes and the other concerning child care centers, identify challenges child care providers face in meeting nutrition requirements and highlight opportunities for using local and regional food systems to address these challenges.

The Shared Kitchen Toolkit is a free, web-based resource that delivers guidance on feasibility and planning for new kitchen projects, as well as management practices for the day-to-day operations of shared-use kitchens. It also provides an overview of emerging kitchen models and highlights opportunities for kitchens to expand their community impact and enhance financial sustainability. It is available as a 166-page downloadable PDF, via The Food Corridor’s resources page.

The Toolkit is… Show more

The Shared Kitchen Toolkit is a free, web-based resource that delivers guidance on feasibility and planning for new kitchen projects, as well as management practices for the day-to-day operations of shared-use kitchens. It also provides an overview of emerging kitchen models and highlights opportunities for kitchens to expand their community impact and enhance financial sustainability. It is available as a 166-page downloadable PDF, via The Food Corridor’s resources page.

The Toolkit is meant to guide the user through the various planning phases all the way to the launch and management of an existing kitchen. We know that building a kitchen isn’t a linear path by any means! The Toolkit can be referenced at any point in a facility’s development and re-visited even after launch. Show less