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Hi! We, Chelsea and Susanna, founded Back to Basics Kitchen LLC. We’ve been helping people get back to basics and get real with their eating since 2009. What’s back to basics? Meals cooked from scratch by human hands using fresh, unprocessed ingredients, preferably from an organic producer, preferably a local one, and even better one that you know. It’s cooking like grandma did.
We’ve recently leased a space for a commercial kitchen to expand our services. With a little Kickstarter love we'll be able to outfit our new kitchen space with the necessary commercial equipment.
Let us tell you about ourselves before detailing the equipment purchase.
We have three primary goals as a business:
- To close the gap between people’s interest in healthy food and their ability to access and prepare it.
- To support local farmers and producers, strengthen community, and build our local economy.
- To operate in the most ecologically and socially just manner possible.
Our Services:
We’ve got a synergistic, one-stop shop business that addresses the need for both high quality prepared foods and basic, everyday culinary education.
Culinary Education
Empowering people to cook for themselves is at the heart of our business. Our classes are unique and effective because they emphasize planning, prepping ahead, and ingredient sourcing as much as recipes. Check out our recurring, in-depth workshop From Scratch as well as our individual classes.
Our ultimate goal is to partner with the local school districts and non-profits with whom we’ve begun conversations to offer regular free and low-cost cooking classes that address the needs of low-income participants.
Fresh Weekly Meals
Beginning in July 2011 we’ll offer a weekly take-home meal service.
Featuring fresh, simple meals, the weekly menus are based on seasonal, local, and organic ingredients and include choices for entrees, separate sides, pantry staples such as chicken broth, and high quality condiments to mix and match. Options for special dietary needs include gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and GAPS-friendly.
Small Business Incubator
Our kitchen is available to rent on an hourly and monthly basis. As we grow we’ll focus on supporting similarly-minded sustainable businesses by providing space and assistance with licensing as well as increasing purchasing power for local foods.
Farm to Table Catering
Each growing season we cater farm-to-table dinners and farm weddings featuring locally-produced ingredients. These are zero waste events and help raise public awareness of the possibilities of sustainable catering practices.
What We Have:
We have a three-year lease in a beautiful, sunny kitchen that has space to host our catering and classes as well as those of others. We have 17 years of combined personal chef, restaurant (Chelsea has even run her own) and small business management experience. We both have nutrition certifications. We have a business coach, a solid business plan, a lawyer, insurance, a website, a list of potential renters, and even a supply of Ela Family Farms jams and Justin’s nut butters to turn into cookies for our Kickstarter friends.
What We Need:
What don’t we have? The money for the commercial kitchen equipment that will make our kitchen run. And we’d love for that money to come from our community, from people who will use and believe in our services.
Here’s What $15,000 Will Buy:
2 commercial coolers, 2 commercial freezers, 1 convection oven, 1 six-burner range, 5 stainless steel prep tables, 4 dry-storage shelving units, sheet pans, hotel pans, 3 nice, large stainless steel pots, Cambros (commercial Tupperware!), cutting boards and knives.
Here's What $18,000 (or more!) Will Buy:
If we exceed our funding level we’ll be able to purchase a Robot Coupe commercial processor and an attachment for our commercial mixer that will allow us to grind our own meat fresh, and even make our own sausage! We'll also be able to offer a dishwashing position and prep cook position sooner- you can make that job creation happen.
Help Kickstart us so we can grow more quickly allowing us to reach further into and beyond our community.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to ask questions, and check out our website for more information.
Thank you for your support, and happy eating!
Video music is "Farewell Blues" by Django Reinhart. We claim no rights to this song. Also thanks to Rocky Thompson for the outdoor cooking class video clip.
Questions about this project? Check out the FAQ
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Funding period
- (30 days)