Start a Food Business

Detroit Kitchen Connect

Budding food entrepreneurs need love and support. Happily, Detroit Kitchen Connect provides a supportive, interactive environment where food entrepreneurs can seek a network of licensed, food-safe, shared-use cooking space to get started building a food business. In addition to the Eastern Market Community Kitchen, Eastern Market Partnership has added The Eastern Market Accelerator, a 5 production suite facility for businesses that have “graduated” out of the shared-use, community kitchen and needs dedicated food-safe space in order to scale. 

Interested in applying to Detroit Kitchen Connect? Register for our Getting Started in a Commercial Kitchen class here! 

The class covers the following important topics to get you started: 

• Licensing through the Michigan Department of Agriculture or the Department of Health
• Food Safety education and certification 
• Kitchen costs and storage fees
• Application process
• Approved equipment
• Food Truck 101
• Recipe standardization
• Access to technical support networks
• And more! 

Eastern Market Partnership offers several grant programs to help people whose new business ideas are bigger than their resources. Thanks to JPMorgan Chase, our lead sponsor of the Detroit Kitchen Connect program.

Interested in renting the kitchen for a one-off event? Learn more here.

Food Safety

Food safety (by Michigan Department of Agriculture guidelines) is fundamental to everything we do at Eastern Market. Our vendors are mandated by the state to be certified in Food Safety Training, practicing Minimum Safe Standards for food sampling and safe food handling.

P.I.C. (Person In Charge) partners with Eastern Market Partnership to ensure proper food sanitation and provide food safety training and certification through a broad range of classes.

Review and register for classes here!

Failure to comply can result in code enforcement, more frequent inspections, limited licensing and possible closure.

This video, offered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, examines another health issue—outside groups possibly tampering with foods.

FEAST Detroit

FEAST Detroit is an exceptional provider of specialty food manufacturing services, including co-packing, for growing businesses. It concentrates on producing shelf stable products and utilizing local supply chains in order to bring agriculture and manufacturing full-circle. FEAST is licensed by the Michigan Department of Agricultural and Rural Development (MDARD) and registered through the FDA.