Mary “Madookz” Muse has been involved in the Philly food scene for years. From prepping pies and desserts for various restaurants to being a general manager of a local Tropical Smoothie Cafe, she has built a strong network.
“I am a food safety ServSafe Proctor and instructor, and I also owned a food truck previously,” she said.
As a Philly chef, Muse said, it was important for her to have a dedicated space to create, cook and store her products.
This is where Alonzo Coates came in. A Penn State economics graduate who formerly worked in mortgage consulting and healthcare facilities management, Coates saw a need for commercial kitchens in the Philly area. Thus was born Kitchen Korners, located off Bustleton Avenue in Northeast Philly.
“I just love to see that smile on the client’s [face] and know that they feel good about doing the right thing and being able to prosper,” he said.
Muse was one of Kitchen Korners’ first clients. She said this commercial kitchen is different from other ones in the city.
“Some of the other commercial kitchens in the city, there’s so many people there, and there’s a possibility of losing trade secrets, and of losing equipment,” she said. “But his is so private, you could come in and actually have the time to focus and create your product and your presentations.”
The space
Kitchen Korners opened in 2022, following zoning, permit and COVID-19 challenges. Coates said over the past three years, the space has welcomed different types of clients.
“We’ve got the manufacturing clients, the caterers, the startup businesses, and the food truck clients,” he said.
While some clients have well-established businesses and need a space to prepare their goods, others are working on their future ambitions, he said.
“We have clients who dream of one day having their own food business,” he said. “There are also people who have dreamed that one day they will have their food items in Whole Foods or Acme.”
Coates said many of his younger clients have driven the need and demand for this type of space.
“As times change and the Millennial population and the Gen Z population, like the 18- to 25-year-old range there, they have different needs and wants in terms of food products,” he said.
“There are more fresh or farm items, and these populations are willing to try more gourmet types of foods or different types of exotic ingredients. It leads to this type of movement. And because of that, people want to create food products and they need a space that would allow them to do that.”
Coates said hosting clients in this space is mutually beneficial. He enjoys the experience of elevating new business owners, while he takes care of legal and insurance-focused paperwork and standards for the space.
“I love the idea of helping a new client build their business from the beginning,” he said. “My goal is to create a millionaire out of that building space.”
The relationship between Muse and Coates has provided benefit in both directions. He helped her grow her business and exposure, and she was able to help with the start of the kitchen.
“I was able to network with Alonso and help him navigate through some of the barriers and requirements that you might need to start your business with a commercial kitchen in Philadelphia,” she said. “Philadelphia has some of the strictest policies for food safety, which is good for us, because that means that you’re getting good, safe food.”
Muse said she was able to bake a cake for the Phillies’ home opener this season that she and Coates attended.
She said this connection is one unique way Coates helps his clients – through exposure.
“It was just the fact that the owner of the Phillies said, ‘I like your desserts,’” she said. “There’s no other better endorsement than having someone share their different spaces or entrepreneurial relationships with you.”
Beyond the kitchen
Outside of his kitchen space, Coates sells gourmet cookies to Black Turtle Coffee in Center City Philadelphia. He said this has led him to get more involved in the dessert industry.
“Because of the success of the cookies, I’ve decided that ice cream and the water ice and cold treats industry is where I’m going.” he said. “So, I’ve got some designs already created, and waiting on some zoning to go through, and if that happens, I’m hoping by the spring of 2027 to have that.”
Coates also is aiming to open up a retail space next to his shared-use kitchen. He hopes this can be used to sell his and other food entrepreneurs’ goods.
Additionally, Coates plans to start a food nonprofit to teach kids about the culinary industry.
“We’ll have teachers in there who will help kids with getting their food safety certificate, and getting them to understand food protection,” he said. “And then if they want to be chefs, we can teach them in the kitchen, or if they want to learn how to make water ice and ice cream, [there will be opportunities for that].”
For Muse, there are more opportunities on the horizon as well. She said she is partnering with several restaurants outside of Philly, cooking desserts for their spaces. Additionally, she is working on getting her products into supermarkets, including ShopRite.
In the meantime, she said she is grateful for Kitchen Korners, as it gives her a space to create these products.
“You know that your food is safe [there],” she said. “You have individual freezer space. You know that no one else is coming in there and touching your product. You can lock things up and put things away. There is a private element to this commercial kitchen which makes his commercial kitchen more unique than any other commercial kitchen space in the city.”
The post This shared-use kitchen space is helping food entrepreneurs grow their businesses appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY.
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