Mountain Harvest Kitchen, located in Unicoi, Tennessee off of I-26, recently hosted a series of open house events in preparation for their grand opening next month. This certified commercial kitchen was created for community use and will support local and regional food business development. The facility will be available 24/7 to individuals and businesses who want the rent the space for food processing. The 4,000 square foot building will house two food processing areas, a research and development lab and office space. In addition to usable space, the facility will provide aspiring business owners with technical support, financial counseling and regulatory guidance. Cooking demonstrations and educational seminars will be available to entrepreneurs and open to the general public as well.

A special thank you goes to Mountain Harvest Kitchen Director Lee Manning and kitchen committee member Charlene O'Dell for trusting FRS Asheville to outfit the new facility. FRS provided a walk-in freezer, refrigerator, six-burner gas range with standard oven, a combo steam and convection oven, and various other commercial kitchen appliances.

Equipment was installed last week, and Mountain Harvest Kitchen will be fully operational by the end of summer. We can't wait to see how the community will take advantage of the space! Interested in learning more? Follow the Town of Unicoi on Facebook for special announcements.