Archived site
baso
We helped a Black-owned worker cooperative bring a commercial kitchen facility to life managing the full process.
Challenges
Commercial kitchen projects carry a dense permitting load — health department approvals, food production licensing, and mechanical and ventilation requirements all run on separate tracks. Coordinating these alongside a tight budget and a first-time facility owner required careful sequencing from day one.
Services
We provided owner's representative, permitting, and facility coordination services across the full project. We procured and managed the design and construction teams, shepherded permits through city and county agencies, and coordinated the facility service vendors needed to open and operate the kitchen.
Outcomes
ChiFresh Kitchen opened a fully permitted, code-compliant commercial facility on Chicago's South Side. The project met minority and women-owned business participation goals and gave a worker-owned cooperative the physical home needed to grow its food service operations and expand employment for Black Chicagoans.
