BLACKSBURG, Va. – A new shared kitchen space in Blacksburg may help local businesses cook up success. Rachel Doyle is a master at creating tasteful dishes and knows how to work her way around the kitchen.
She's the owner of HazelBea Catering, which was inspired by her two grandmothers.
"They were the one(s) who not only taught me how to cook but I fell in love with food with them," Doyle said.
As her company grew from catering weddings to providing food for all kinds of events, Doyle said she needed more space.
Now, she has it at Millstone Kitchen in Blacksburg.
"The great thing is I have all this new equipment to test new ideas and try new recipes," said Doyle.
When 10 News first visited Millstone Kitchen back in May, the area was still under construction. It's now a fully functional commercial kitchen space.
"You can rent hourly. You can get certified by the Department of Health, by the Department of Agriculture, in order to start your own food business. That can be catering, food truck, baking. It could also be culinary lessons," said Jessica Shultz, kitchen manager.
Three businesses can work in the space together at one time.
"To have this beautiful kitchen -- most everything in the kitchen is brand-new -- just to have a shared space and to share ideas," is a big plus, said Doyle.
That can help businesses in the community.
"Having this as an interim step would have been a total game-changer for me," said Doyle.
"They're more likely to source from other local businesses. Case in point. HazelBea and all the farmers she knows," said Shultz.
Shultz said this is the first space of its kind in the New River Valley.
Millstone Kitchen is currently accepting applications and giving tours of the facility. The Leap Kitchen is a shared commercial kitchen space in southwest Roanoke.