Bedford Collab welcomes first cohort into culinary coworking space in Evansville

After five years of planning and preparation, Bedford Collab is onboarding its first cohort into a shared commercial kitchen in Evansville. On Sept. 27, community members attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1201 S. Bedford Ave. featuring entertainment by the performing drum line Boom Squad.

“This area has not seen economic development, depending on who you talk to, in 80 to 100 years,” said DeAndre Wilson, Bedford Collab’s co-founder and chief operating officer. “Neighbors are ready for it. The building that we’re in was involved in the flood of 1937. There’s so much history here.”

The vision for a culinary coworking space on the south side originated from Wilson and Merrick Korach, Bedford Collab’s co-founder and CEO. With ongoing support from Tepe Park residents and funding from various sources, the pair presented the transformation of the former Bedford Tavern building to the community on a Saturday evening.

“It was super cool to see all the community support that we had that night,” Wilson said. “We’re open. We’re functioning. We can demonstrate what we can do because the shared kitchen concept is still hard for a lot of people to envision or digest. And now they can look at online posts or what have you and see, ‘Okay, this is how that’s supposed to operate.”

About Bedford Collab

According to Wilson, Bedford Collab is a licensed and certified food production facility designed for entrepreneurs to start, scale and grow their businesses. Wilson and Korach’s nonprofit, Impact Evansville, owns the building and equipment, while Bedford Collab, an LLC, leases the space.

Members pay a monthly rent or an hourly fee for access to the shared commercial kitchen. The first cohort contains nine businesses, including Cakes By Shea and Sourdough Connection, that are being onboarded to start working inside the building. 

“The plan is to build the culture that we want and make sure that they’re strong. Then, after the first of the new year, we’re going to bring in a second cohort so they can learn from the first cohort,” said Wilson.

Though the first floor of the building is ready for use, Wilson has plans to raise capital to renovate the second story for additional culinary space. 

“Only difference between the downstairs and the upstairs is that there’s no cooking upstairs. It’s just for prep. And when it’s not being used for prep, we want to have classes and workshops, things like that taking place,” Wilson said.

The ‘foodpreneurs’

Two anchor businesses in the first cohort—Tori Chapman’s Vegan Eats and Treats and Turn Table, owned by Wilson and Jeff Gott—have 24-hour access to Bedford Collab. Wilson said there’s room for two more “foodpreneurs” to become core tenants.

“Those anchors pay a premium, which then allows early-stage founders to come in at lower rates if necessary. And then over time, they’re scaling and they’re increasing their storage and their hours in the kitchen,” said Wilson.

Chapman told Inside INdiana Business she’s been on board with the project ever since Wilson and Korach began the endeavor in 2020.

“After [Wilson] told me about it, years down the line, he said, ‘Construction’s really moving. Things are actually happening.’ And that’s when we were like, ‘Okay, count us in,’” Chapman said. 

Chapman has worked out of Kitchen 812, a catering venue and commissary kitchen in Evansville, and operates pop-up food service at places like Haynie’s Corner and events such as the Franklin Street Bazaar. She believes the south side spot will allow food business owners like her to take on bigger projects and spread the word about their enterprises.

“For existing businesses, it’s going to be a place to grow. For new businesses, it’ll be a safe space for them to bring their ideas to life and feel comfortable showing their talents,” said Chapman. “Just having access to commercial equipment, the access to a walk-in freezer and a fridge, that makes a huge difference for a food business.”

Tepe Park’s tenacity

Austin Maxheimer, neighborhood revitalization director at Community One in Evansville, believes the story of Bedford Collab and the Tepe Park community is one of grit and perseverance.

“[This is] a neighborhood that, when we started the work in 2017, had the highest poverty rate in the city, the highest rate of abandoned-dilapidated housing, almost no viable businesses in or even around the neighborhood. So to see a building restored and renewed, it’s an encouragement and inspiration for everyone in the neighborhood,” Maxheimer said. “These places and spaces and people are worthy of investment.”

Chapman hopes the new culinary coworking space will inspire others to invest in and revitalize other existing structures and encourage residents to take care of the neighborhood. Wilson is already seeing evidence of such community spirit.

“We have a family that comes and picks up trash, cuts our grass and sweeps the sidewalk for us. We didn’t ask for that,” Wilson said. “What this building is doing for the neighborhood is reactivating that civic pride that is lost, not just in the neighborhood, but across the world.”

The shared commercial kitchen also plans to give back to the community, which is in a food desert. The business partnered with agriculture technology startup Anu to help address the issue.

“With Anu, we have those indoor aeroponic growing towers. So we’re going to have produce all year long,” said Wilson. “We also have raised bed gardens in front of the building, so we can keep this produce in the neighborhood and provide it to the neighbors.”

Wilson advises food business owners interested in becoming a Bedford Collab member to reach out via social media or email to discuss the details and see if the venture is a good fit.

“Do they have insurance? Are they ServSafe [certified]? Do they have a business plan? It doesn’t have to be complete, but do they know the direction their startup is heading? Can they actually cook? That’s going to be important. I’m happy to meet with anybody.”