COMMUNITY
The Shop One Stop: Your Creative Kitchen Space WRITTEN BY DAWN ANDERSON | COURTESY PHOTOS
W hen Aaron Williams endeavored to open Chicago Jerk Tacos in Louisville’s West End, he had to navigate “the grey area transition” from cooking out of his home kitchen to a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Williams soon realized that with “so much to cover in that area,” the community had more significant needs than the more traditional kitchen spaces offered in the city could fulfill. He partnered with Chef Austin Harris, formerly of Darnell “Superchef” Ferguson’s Tha Drippin’ Crab, to “support entrepreneurs in their ventures.” According to Williams, “There are great chefs and great business owners, but not always both at once. With The Shop One Stop: Your Creative Kitchen, we bridge the education gaps. Aspiring culinary entrepreneurs learn from us and each other in a 12-18 week incubator program.” At the end of the program, external partnerships with venues set them apart from their collaborators in other shared professional kitchen spaces. “These pop-ups offer opportunities to test the market with their great ideas to gauge what works and what to change.” Meanwhile, The Shop One Stop provides double the kitchen equipment, handling larger product capacities than other kitchen spaces. “We have professional vendor contracts and relationships, so you’re not just shopping yourself and restaurant and food supply stores. The transition from cooking out of the home requires the proper equipment and
supplies. We’ve already mapped out that thought process for you. We invest the money from our rental packages back into the business, creating a continuously upgraded platform to put you in the position of a professional without breaking the bank.” Chef Austin Harris says this opportunity to be affordably taught and to have catering and restaurant business liaisons has been missing in West Louisville. “This is the first Black- owned kitchen space, and that representation matters. We have already identified every problem ‘from the mud to the manifestation.’” Aaron agrees, “We are community-driven, supporting in its endeavors and expanding to the rest of the city.” The hope is that The Shop One Stop will increase the number of restaurants in the food desert that is the West End, Harris says the 10,000-square-foot space at 227 S. 30th Street positions entrepreneurs to “put up a good fight against the competition and be successful by working out the kinks for you so that you can hone in on being the great chef you are.” At press time, Williams and Harris were strategically screening potential new clients and filling spots quickly. Phase 2 will add another 5,000 square feet. They wish to thank their many partners, including The Vision Group and XP Viral Media.
Visit theshoponestop.com and follow @TheShopOneStop on social media (Donation link in bios.)
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