Calgary's Culinary Coworking significantly expands its operations

Jan 24 2022, 11:24 pm

Even though Calgary’s Culinary Coworking space just opened in 2019, it’s already announcing a massive expansion of operations.

Nearly tripling in size from 3,900 sq ft to 10,700 sq ft, this chef-driven space started by the father son-duo of Chef Herbert Obrecht and Andrew Obrecht has been renovated to support more businesses and entrepreneurs at any stage.

It doesn’t matter if there is a family-owned pop-up kitchen or a world-renowned chef’s new concept cocktail bar, there is a place for them here.

Especially with the struggles the pandemic has caused local restaurants, the Obrecht’s saw the need for more space and acted on it.

Access to a certified commercial kitchen is often the first thing a business owner will need to bring their restaurant dream to life, but it can be incredibly difficult to afford or find one. At Culinary Coworking, that support exists.

“Beyond just launching a coworking space, we wanted to create a community hub to support culinary entrepreneurs in Calgary,” said co-founder Andrew Obrecht in a press release.

“Through Culinary Coworking, we have created a space where all types of food producers can come together and operate,” he added.

Three of Calgary’s entrepreneurs spoke to Dished about their experience with Culinary Coworking, and the obstacles they would face without it.

Sweet Cake & Bake Shop

Shannon Brooks of Sweet Cake & Bake Shop started working with Culinary Coworking in August of 2021. For her, renting a retail space and purchasing equipment was financially impossible. The shared space for the chef was the only way she could start at all.

Culinary CoWorking provides all the equipment I need now and the flexibility to grow,” Brooks told Dished. “They have provided me with my own fridge for my cakes.”

For Brooks, it wasn’t all about the money aspect of things, but also the advantages of being part of the community and speaking with other like-minded people.

“I’ve learned a lot from speaking to other entrepreneurs in the community. Things like social media presence, marketing, what they do, how it has worked out, best local suppliers for my specific business, etc.” said Brooks.

“The community feels like family, supportive of each other.”

The Sweet Cake & Bake Shop creates custom cakes with all natural ingredients to make classic comforts like cinnamon buns, scones, cupcakes, cookies, and more.

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Ritual Doughnuts

 

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Ritual Donuts has been working with Culinary Coworking for more than two years, and when it went through a big growth spurt, they needed to find kitchen help.

Culinary Coworking helped me spread the word in the kitchen and we hired someone part time who was working with another business,” Ashley Rogers, the owner of Ritual Donuts, told Dished.

“We needed more space to store our ingredients, so they created more space for us.”

More space helped them through this period, and the community here continues to guide the business as it changes and grows.

“Anytime I have a business question or need help sourcing something, I know I can send Herbert or Andrew an email and they are happy and quick to respond,” said Rogers.

Ritual makes gourmet doughnuts from decadent brioche dough, changing flavours seasonally and throughout the week, like cinnamon sugar, sour cream glazed, black forest, chocolate chip cookie dough, and even savoury doughnuts like jalapeño poppers.

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Smoke N BBQ

 

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After two years of building their 75-seat barbecue joint on Macleod Trail, the pandemic hit the new business extremely hard. Needing to face these new challenges and adapt, Stephen Szostak of Smoke N BBQ started looking for a commercial kitchen.

“Through some research and interviewing a few of the ghost kitchens in Calgary we met with Culinary Coworking,” Szostak told Dished.

“The culture and approach was exactly what we were looking for. It was on brand for our company as a whole and we were really able to get behind the vision of the coworking aspect of the company,” he added.

With this new help, it didn’t take long for the team at this Texas-style spot to bounce back.

“Within a short six months of partnering with Culinary Coworking and having a phenomenal first season on our food truck, with their support, we have been able to expand our operation and have now opened a small retail location on 17th Avenue SE,” said Szostak.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the support and facilities of Culinary Coworking.”

Smoke N BBQ is a quick-service smokehouse company bringing the flavours of Texas to Calgary.

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The expanded space is officially open to current and prospective members, continuing to create opportunities for Calgary’s entrepreneurs.

For more information, visit culinarycoworking.com.

Culinary Coworking

Address: 4517 1 Street SE, Calgary

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