Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.
Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Scott Pass, right, teaches his younger brother Richard Logan to cook on Thursday at CoMo Cooks shared kitchen in Columbia. Pass received a grant from the Loop Community Improvement District to fund a new expanded place at the Business Loop.
Richard Logan cooks for his older brother's business, The Biscuit Center, on Thursday at CoMo Cooks shared kitchen in Columbia. This was his second week on the job.
Richard Logan fills a cupcake tray with dough on Thursday at CoMo Cooks shared kitchen in Columbia. The new space on Business Loop will provide more floor space for tables and appliances.
Scott Pass bakes cinnamon rolls on Thursday at CoMo Cooks shared kitchen in Columbia. Pass uses a secret recipe he created himself to make his cinnamon rolls special.
Scott Pass bakes cinnamon rolls for The Biscuit Center on Thursday at CoMo Cooks shared kitchen in Columbia. The space contains locked shelves stocked with cooking supplies and equipment, with a few metal tables for food preparation.
Inside of the temporary shared kitchen on Thursday at CoMo Cooks shared kitchen in Columbia. Pass said the CoMo Cooks shared kitchen facility and scholarship was a valuable starting point for him.
An early 2023 opening is planned for The Loop Community Improvement District's new CoMo Cooks shared kitchen and office space at 14 Business Loop 70 East.
Richard Logan fills a cupcake tray with dough on Thursday at CoMo Cooks shared kitchen in Columbia. The new space on Business Loop will provide more floor space for tables and appliances.
Currently, the kitchen is temporarily located at 500 E. Walnut St., under the parking garage. It contains locked shelves stocked with cooking supplies and equipment, with a few metal tables for food preparation. While the temporary kitchen may seem airy due to the aroma of pastries and its large windows and high ceilings, there is minimal floor space for tables and appliances.
Scott Pass bakes cinnamon rolls on Thursday at CoMo Cooks shared kitchen in Columbia. Pass uses a secret recipe he created himself to make his cinnamon rolls special.
Construction on the new facility began this past month, made possible by grants from the City of Columbia and the USDA. It will include expanded kitchen facilities and other resources to support more farmers and business owners.
While the facility will provide local businesses an expanded place to cook, it will also feature a new production element called the Packing House, made possible by the $588,000 USDA grant.
Inside of the temporary shared kitchen on Thursday at CoMo Cooks shared kitchen in Columbia. Pass said the CoMo Cooks shared kitchen facility and scholarship was a valuable starting point for him.
Carrie Gartner, executive director of The Loop CID, said this grant is a collaboration with two local organizations, the Greenbelt Land Trust of Mid-Missouri and the Root Cellar. The grant is spearheaded by the Root Cellar, though The Loop CID received a small portion of the money to create the Packing House.
Gartner said the facility allows farmers to first process their crops, helping them make more money, and the Root Cellar then handles distribution.
Scott Pass bakes cinnamon rolls for The Biscuit Center on Thursday at CoMo Cooks shared kitchen in Columbia. The space contains locked shelves stocked with cooking supplies and equipment, with a few metal tables for food preparation.
"The thought was, 'what can we provide in this kitchen that doesn't require (farmers) to be a chef?'... so we're starting with blast freezing," Gartner said. This allows frozen products to be distributed for wholesale or to other businesses, like local restaurants.
Gartner said the key grant for her group is the $250,000 City Workforce Development Grant from the City of Columbia. It will provide funding for building the kitchen and purchasing new kitchen equipment, including new kitchen bays, a baking section, pop-up space and food truck access.
The City of Columbia grant has also allowed The Loop CID to create scholarships for minority chefs to help lower the barrier to entry for those trying to start their own business.
LaTitia Harris, owner and founder of A Queen's Vegan Cuisine, is one of the scholarship recipients. Her business offers vegan foods and herbal teas, and her main mission is to teach people about health and simple lifestyle changes they can make to improve their well-being.
Harris said she got involved with The Loop CID's shared kitchen when it was at its Mizzou North location, after a friend recommended it to her.
“(The kitchen provides) stability because our customers know where to come to purchase from us," she said. "They offered the ready building that's attached with the program. They offer business coaches and things so they help you along the way every step of the way.”
Like others in the kitchen, Harris said she is in the early stages of operating her business, and this scholarship allows her to continue working to get it off the ground without worrying about the financial aspects.
Scott Pass, owner of The Biscuit Center, also received a scholarship. He moved to the Columbia area 10 years ago and noticed the city lacked any good businesses for biscuits. He continued to perfect his recipe over the past nine years until he started his business last year.
Scott Pass, right, teaches his younger brother Richard Logan to cook on Thursday at CoMo Cooks shared kitchen in Columbia. Pass received a grant from the Loop Community Improvement District to fund a new expanded place at the Business Loop.
Pass said the scholarship application process involved highlighting his business' "wow factor" and laying out his business plan.
Richard Logan cooks for his older brother's business, The Biscuit Center, on Thursday at CoMo Cooks shared kitchen in Columbia. This was his second week on the job.
"I think having all the equipment there readily available is definitely a good thing," he said. "The upfront costs, (the scholarship) definitely helps lower that."
While the grant will assist individual cooks, Gartner said it will also help the Business Loop overall by contributing to the commerce in the area.
"The key with the grant is it gets our kitchen back on the loop," she said. The facility was previously at Mizzou North and now in a temporary space, so it is currently somewhat removed from the area.
According to The Loop CID's 2021 Annual Report, the vacancy rate in the CID is only 3%. The area has generally low rents combined with high traffic, which Gartner said is an important factor in returning the shared kitchen to the Business Loop.
Gartner said having the kitchen on the Business Loop means it will get more traffic, and it will contribute to the project-oriented nature of businesses along the Loop.
Harris and Pass hope to one day operate their own storefronts, but they both said they recognize the CoMo Cooks shared kitchen facility and scholarships as a valuable starting point.
“I'm thankful for the opportunity, I know that much," she said. "I think something grand is going to become of all of us that are working out of this kitchen.”
The Business Loop Community Improvement District and Regional Economic Development are advancing a plan to transform the former Ellis Fischel Cancer Center cafeteria into a shared commercial kitchen.
The space is designed as an affordable option for entrepreneurial cooks get their business started without the financial burden.
City/County Government and Neighborhoods reporter, fall 2022. Studying journalism and international studies. Reach me at teaganking@mail.missouri.edu, or in the newsroom at 882-5700.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Fred Anklam manages city and county government reporters. He can be reached at anklamf@missouri.edu or in the newsroom at 573-882-5720.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Staff Photographer, spring 2020 Studying Convergence: Photojournalism and Russian Reach me at eludn5@missouri.edu, or in the newsroom at (573) 882-5720
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Receive top local news and columns every morning. (View a sample.)