In 1999 Chelsea got a new high school and an empty kitchen. The high school has been heavily used, graduating class after class of students. The kitchen in the old high school, now called the Washington Street Center, has been used sparingly.

That looks to change this year if Victoria Bennett has anything to say about it. At least the kitchen part. She wants to turn the industrial-sized kitchen that used to feed hundreds of teens every day into a kitchen incubator for aspiring culinary businesses.

Bennett, a Chelsea resident, is an academic associate at Washtenaw Community College and has worked with entrepreneurs at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. She points out that there isn't much of anything in regards to business incubation on the west side of the county and thinks a kitchen incubator will serve a pressing need locally.

"This is a blatant need that is not being filled," Bennett says.

Although the kitchen is only used occasional to prepare meals for senior citizens, she sees lots of aspiring cooks taking advantage of the space as long as there is someone there to follow through on the vision. Bennett knows that person is her and she thinks it won't be hard because a number of people have shown interest.

"I hope to have it up and going by the end of the year," Bennett says.

For information on the fledgling kitchen incubator, click here or send an email to Bennett at vbennett@wccnet.edu.

Source: Victoria Bennett, academic associate with Washtenaw Community College
Writer: Jon Zemke