Filled with prune or cherry, Janine Frank's round, slightly sweet Kolachi pastries could come straight from an old-school Slovakian bakery. And Sherry Rousso's 2-inch-square vegan treats decorated with gold dust could come from a hip Williamsburg shop.
But these two delicacies come from the same place, an industrial building on a block in Long Island City, Queens: a street shared with rundown car washes and mechanics' garages.
Frank, a former real estate investor, and Rousso, a part-time agent for commercial cameramen, are among the 95 food makers who rent a spot at the kitchen of the Entrepreneur Space, an incubator for fledgling food operations and other businesses on 37th Street near Northern Boulevard.
The 5,500-square-foot commercial kitchen is a refuge for unemployed New Yorkers who want to start their own businesses, a laboratory for the ones who have jobs but would love to change gears, and a paradise for "slash careerists" - people who want to combine more than one career.
"Here we nurture small businesses until they become big enough to flap their wings and go out on their own," said Kathrine Gregory, coordinator and soul of the kitchen since 2005.
Scheduled to close down last summer, when the union-backed nonprofit group that sustained it could no longer afford to lease the space, the kitchen is still humming. The Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC) took over the facility last September. It invested $100,000 in the venture and offered its business expertise to bakers like Frank and Rousso.
"We realized that this was a wonderful resource here in Long Island City," said Seth Bornstein, executive director of QEDC. "This goes back to our mission, creating jobs in Queens."
New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) provided QEDC with a $170,000 grant to help subsidize the fit-out and development of the space, after which time it is expected to be self-sustaining. It is one of eight incubators that the City has launched across industry sectors to provide affordable space to start-ups and to facilitate networking among tenants. The City has launched more than 60 initiatives to support entrepreneurship and encourage start-up companies to locate and grow in New York City.
"From our industrial studies we find food to be one of the sectors in the manufacturing space that is still growing in New York," said Ann Li, Director at the Center for Economic Transformation at NYCEDC. "We wanted to ride that momentum and support that sector."
The kitchen solves many problems. It provides cooks with a space that they don't have at home, allows them to manufacture in volume; it's fully equipped and complies with all city health regulations. The operation also fosters partnerships with other entrepreneurs who rent offices in the same building, people who might help food entrepreneurs draft a marketing plan or keep their books.
The commercial kitchen is open 24/7 on a shift basis. The most expensive time slot runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($231), the cheapest from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. ($154).
"At first I was intimidated by all the machines and the equipment, but the staff here is wonderful, the facility is wonderful," Rousso said. "They are very supportive, it really is an incubating kind of establishment, I feel very nurtured here."
Gregory said that most of her clients have a real knack for cooking. They don't bake just bread. They make a kaleidoscope of products: hand-ground blue-corn tortillas, chocolate-covered pretzels, mini-falafel, granola, pickles and chutney, croquettes, and everything in between.
What all the people who show up at this kitchen have in common is a great passion for and commitment to what they do: "When you know you have something good and you feel it in your soul, you should go for it," said Frank, as she cut decadent triple-chocolate biscotti in small, round bits. "I just love making everyone happy, and this is my way of doing it."
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.