Building from the ashes: Chefs look for new kitchen following Oak Creek fire
By Bryant McCray
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WISCONSIN (WDJT) — Chefs from across our area are looking for new base kitchens as Common Cookhouse, a shared cooking space, rebuilds from a devastating fire that occurred last week Wednesday.
That fire left many of the cooks without the bare essentials: pots, pans, spoons, stoves. The list goes on, and beyond the bare essentials, the fire left many without one obvious thing, a place to cook.
Now, some of those entrepreneurs are looking for a space big enough, with the proper equipment, which can sustain their daily operations so they may be able to run a successful business.
A base kitchen serves the purpose of anchoring many food trucks or private chefs to a main kitchen, allowing them to properly store their foods and goods. This style of kitchen is needed for many of these operators to legally continue serving their community.
CBS 58’s Bryant McCray spoke with two chefs, now on the hunt for that style of kitchen — looking to continue their mission.
Daniela Varela, owner of Ruby’s Bagels, tells Bryant there are moments where she is still in shock over the fire and the power it welded, destroying everything. Varela says, “it still doesn’t feel real.”
Varela opened Ruby’s Bagels back in 2019 — something she says is more than a food truck, but a family affair, working shoulder-to-shoulder with family members, creating more than food, but love.
Varela is not alone in her plight. She, along with private chef Katy Klinnnert, owner of Katy’s Cooking Tonight, is also on the hunt for a new place to set up shop.
Klinnert says she is desperate to get back to work, doing what she loves. Klinnert says, “I genuinely love what I do, I genuinely love my staff, they are like family to me and I genuinely love my clients.”
And it’s their love for their clients and staff that has these two entrepreneurial women pounding the pavement, looking for the right base kitchen. Enter Francisco Sanchez, owner of Sarbosa.
Sanchez is now showing off his restaurants to potential tenants, Klinnert and Verela, hoping to help them in their time of crisis. Sanchez says it’s simple. “Mi casa es su casa, if I can help you out, I’m going to help you out.”
As of now, the two chefs are still looking for a base kitchen that would properly fit their needs.
There is a fundraiser scheduled for July 10 at Paulie’s Pub and Eatery.
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