Mott Smith and Brian Albert are founders of Amped Kitchens in Los Angeles, and they opened their third facility in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood of Chicago on October 14, 2021. Amped Kitchens was created to give a competitive advantage to food and beverage entrepreneurs ready to expand but who can use shared resources to maneuver the complexities of wholesale production regulations.
Amped Kitchens Chicago offers 64 commercial kitchens, refrigeration, dry storage, packing rooms, loading dock, locker room, office and training space. Best of all, tenants thrive in a dynamic environment with food industry peers where they share ideas, tips and maybe some secret recipes.
Soul Vegan is one of first tenants at Amped Kitchens that is expected create up to 180 new jobs in the region.
Mott Smith opened the ceremonies stating he and Albert came to Chicago because the city has a thriving food industry. World Business Chicago reports that the city is a hub for both food processing with over 1,200 food manufacturing companies, and the region has been the center for food production, warehousing, and distribution since the 1800s. Amped Kitchens was given a huge welcome from the Austin community which provided Smith with a certificate of recognition for transforming a vacant 117,000 square foot Zenith electronics factory into a 60,000 square foot, permit-ready private kitchen facility. Some current tenants include Soul Vegan, cocktail company Hello, CBD brand Half Day, yogurt company Ellenos, Two Fish Crab Shack and Scone House Café.
Everyone at the Ribbon cutting ceremony was treated to samples of food and beverages from the first tenants of Amped Kitchens. Job growth is an added benefit for tenants that will now have the space to hire new employees. As they expand their sales and market reach, an estimated 180 jobs will be created. “Amped Kitchens has a strong track record of success in Los Angeles and is bringing that expertise to advance Chicago food and beverage entrepreneurs,” said Bob Tucker, COO and Executive Vice President of Programs for CCLF. “This will not only help build wealth for local residents but create jobs in the neighborhood.”
Amped Kitchens began the $28 million renovation of the long-vacant Zenith factory at 5801 West Dickens Avenue in late 2019. The facility is currently at 50% capacity as COVID has had an impact on business development. Kitchen sizes range from 150 square feet to 2,000 square feet and tenants have 24/7 access to their private space. In addition, Amped Kitchen tenants have access to expedited government approvals and easier certification pathways, including organic and kosher.
CCLF provided a $4 million loan to Amped Kitchens. Wendell Harris, CCLF’s Vice President of Lending, described during the ribbon cutting how he was able to get comfortable with the Los Angeles model operating in a crowded Chicago food market. Mott and Brian showed how Amped Kitchens would help address an urgent need. Growing food companies have high costs, city health regulations and struggle to secure licensed space to meet growing demand for their products. Amped Kitchens will help eliminate much of that burden so they can begin producing in a matter of weeks instead of months — or years.
Amped Kitchens is also financed by PNC Bank, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Southside Community Optimal Redevelopment Enterprise (SCORE), and the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, BlueHub Capital, FirstPathway and JPMorgan Chase.
Amped’s “plug-and-play” kitchen model saves tenants months of time and effort required to build their own space. Smith stated, “We were seeing too many food businesses hit a wall when it was time to grow. That’s why we are providing food companies with a fast, accessible path to scale.”