By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The new commercial kitchen inside the Stafford County Annex building is set to open in January. First, there are some educational items scheduled at the facility. On Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, from 4-6 p.m., K-State Research and Extension 21 Central District and Stafford County Economic Development will host Land of Kansas' Sammy Gleason. Eco Devo Director Ryan Russell will also present as part of the kitchen opening ceremony.
"The kitchen is now licensed as a commercial kitchen," Russell said. "We're planning to go for some grant money in January to put some things in the kitchen. But the event itself, basically I'm going to talk about what we want to do in promoting value-added food product development in the county."
Several small businesses in Stafford County already make value-added food products they can sell themselves. Making those items in a commercially licensed kitchen could open the door for sales in stores, online, or out-of-state. The new kitchen in Stafford County will be one of less than two dozen such facilities around the state.
Land of Kansas promotes products made in the state. Gleason will talk about her organization's services and requirements regarding labeling and packaging products. On Feb. 21, Central District will host a Breadmaking Workshop for artisan and sourdough breads. A food preservation program is also in the works.
The Stafford County Commercial Kitchen will be available for licensed food producers to rent following the Jan. 18 kickoff.