Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer joined Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC) to celebrate the opening of The Entrepreneur Space, an incubator for food businesses in Long Island City.

The 5,000-square-foot space includes four commercial-grade kitchens and is open around-the-clock to meet the demands of tenants. The Entrepreneur Space is managed by Mi Kitchen es su Kitchen, a food manufacturing consultancy founded by Katherine Gregory in 1996. Currently, nearly 90 businesses are using the kitchens to produce products ranging from pies and Indian delicacies, to organic dog biscuits and catering services. In addition to the kitchens, the Entrepreneur Space includes affordable workstations, job training programs, and mentoring services for small businesses across industries.

“The Entrepreneur Space is an innovative theme park of ideas and resources for our local small businesses,” said Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer. “This 5,000 square foot one-stop shop will provide endless economic opportunities for small businesses owners and I am thrilled to see such a communal and economically stimulating workspace take roots in my district in Long Island City.”

The four kitchens include a variety of ovens, tables, counters and supplies including mixers of various sizes, a dough processor, steel jacketed tilt kettles, dough rounder, immersion blender and a cold room for finishing. Cold dry storage and lockers are also available and there is a supply of equipment and small wares available for tenant use.

The kitchens are available for rent on an as-needed basis for 8-hour shifts and cost $231.00 per day shift (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.), $189.00 per night shift (4:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.), and $154.00 for overnight shifts (1:00 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.). Rates include garbage pick-up, cleaning supplies and the use of a part-time kitchen assistant for two hours during each shift.

In addition to offering low-cost kitchen rentals, the Entrepreneur Space includes a small business incubator with seven work stations and two private offices. Desks are available from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., seven days a week. Rents range from $350 per month for a single desk to $750 per month for a two-person office. Two classrooms are also available for organizations needing to secure space for job training classes or seminars.