McPartlin ’ s kitchen has also been a space for her to innovate her own food creations , she says . She first purchased the kitchen in 2018 to start selling savory keto-friendly muffins . Since then , she has expanded to sparkly cookies dusted with edible glitter and hand-painted cheesecakestuffed apples . “ I ’ ve always been an entrepreneur at heart , and now I have the opportunity to do it ,” she says .
ISABEL MCPARTLIN
Isabel McPartlin creates and sells cookies and elaborately decorated stuffed apples in her commercial kitchen .
Per cottage food industry laws , Larry Olivarez crafts small-batch ice cream sandwiches and pints in a commercial kitchen in Bryan .
22 July 2021
MANDY CHAHAL
More than 600 shared-use kitchens throughout the nation are helping cooks launch or grow their culinary endeavors , according to a 2020 report by The Food Corridor . Larry Olivarez is one such tenant . His ice cream business , What ’ s Good , is required by cottage industry laws to operate in a commercial kitchen , he says . A search for suitable spaces led him to Sharon Wells ’ s Aquatic Greens Kitchen in Bryan . “ I had some kitchen experience , but nothing quite this scale ,” says Olivarez , who worked in software design for 20 years before deciding to turn his ice cream idea into a reality . “[ The kitchen ] is available for people like me who have an idea and want to work some stuff out .” Olivarez operates What ’ s Good with his wife , Mandy Chahal . They sell handmade ice cream sandwiches and pints , and offer a few flavors each week — from coffee to lemon bar to boom chocolotta — at the farmers ’ market and The Local at Lake Walk . They are also expanding their catering options and hope to open a small shop one day , he says .
Many food business owners enjoy the same opportunities to develop community connections , whether they ’ re cooking at home or baking in a commercial kitchen . “ It ’ s been a lot of fun ,” Cox says . “ You get to know people and they become your friends .”
“ Food is very special ,” McPartlin says . “ It ’ s the one thing we can all share and experience differently from each other in our own unique way . It brings people together .” IN