Kitchen Project is back with a January intake – dates and details soon

Kitchen Project is back with a January intake – dates and details soon.

The Kitchen Project: a local initiative helping emerging food entrepreneurs in West Auckland realise their business dreams.

If you are a local culinary entrepreneur and missed the upcoming West Auckland intake for the Kitchen Project (registrations closed on August 17^th) West Auckland News Online has been advised that they expect there will be another programme in January 2019.

Details on registration to be announced.

The Kitchen Project provides affordable kitchen space for product development and local mentoring programmes and was inspired by La Cocina in San Francisco, an influential and successful kitchen incubator from the United States.

The local programme was put together by Panuku, ATEED, Healthy Families Waitakere and Healthy Families Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura and local community groups like West Means Business.

Brought to Auckland in November 2017, The Kitchen Project seeks to enhance Auckland's foodscape through supporting the development of food and beverage with a focus on culture, healthy food and sustainable business practices.

The West Auckland base provides affordable commercial kitchens in re-purposed containers on a site next to Waitakere Central One Building at 4 Henderson Valley Road.

Te Atatu resident Yvette Brooks who owns and runs Red Hot Kiwi Company was one of five entrepreneurs selected for the first TKP cohort and has benefitted from the programme, “It's important to do what you love and we (Yvette and husband Chris both lived in Mexico) love Salsa and love sharing our passion and feeding people” says Yvette.

Since joining the programme Yvette’s business has grown rapidly - she continues to sell her fresh Mexican salsas and corn chips at Oratia Farmers Market and Te Atatu Peninsula night markets but that is now augmented with the Grey Lynn and Titrangi farmers markets, increasing her market and productivity.

Healthy Families Waitakere Manager Kerry Allan says The Kitchen Project celebrates the diversity of a vibrant West Auckland community and offers a stepping stone for emerging food businesses, “The combination of mentoring and affordable kitchen space can be the difference between an enterprising food business dream becoming a reality”.

It’s a healthy programme also, “The Project reflects the vitality of our community and it brings healthier and more diverse food choices to West Auckland communities.”

There is a selection process. Businesses or operators chosen will start a six-week induction course followed by a 20-week development programme and must commit to 9 hours per week; designed so participants can work while taking part.

Sreshta Sridhar, Project Coordinator at The Kitchen Project says applications are open to businesses or individuals in the community with a sustainable food proposition, which is still in their infancy, perhaps one to two years in.

Says Sreshta, “They need to have the ideas and desire to run a food business but needing food business know-how and support to help them succeed and The Project is intended to provide an opportunity to those who may not have other access to other food business support, and that may include youth and migrant communities.”

Information on the January intake will be posted in due course on their website and/or Facebook page. For further information email Sreshta Sridhar at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Across Auckland, The Kitchen Project seeks to change the foodscape in Auckland communities by supporting local food entrepreneurs to change the food that’s made, sold and eaten so people have better choices to make.

The Kitchen Project is there to train operators in what it takes to make a successful food business and team-up participants with some best-in-class industry mentors to get them cooking.   

Watch: Yvette Brooks' on Facebook talking about The Kitchen Project