Shared Kitchen Space: Best Culinary Innovation since the Food Truck?

"Just as Los Angeles has a reputation for food deserts, the city as a whole is something of an entrepreneurial desert for artisanal food producers like Ferrazzani. As is the case in inspection-conscious cities around the U.S., the L.A. County Department of Public Health essentially requires all but the smallest-scale producers to work out of restaurant-style kitchens that meet strict heath codes. Those who wish to expand must either invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in their own kitchens, or they turn into “gray market” operators, borrowing restaurant space in the dead of night."

"L.A. Prep is hoping to help these food entrepreneurs compete, if not with Kraft and Nabisco, then at least with Amy’s and Annie’s. Set to open next month in a 56,000-square-foot former warehouse, L.A. Prep will have 50 fully licensed, professional kitchens; it’s basically co-working for cooks."

“I’m passionate about experimentation and innovation in cities,” says Smith. “Everything I’ve done is about opening up the marketplace at the entry level … making it easier for small businesses to do their thing, innovate and realize that awesomeness that is implicit in L.A.”