New Arlington incubator program helps Black chefs become "foodpreneurs"
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A North Texas family has launched a new program to address inequities in the culinary industry by letting Black chefs experience what it's like to run their own restaurant.
Driving the news: Kitchen Combine launched in Arlington in January and will feature new chefs with new menus every month.
Why it matters: The culinary industry has historically favored white chefs, making it tougher for chefs of color to get top jobs at restaurants.
- "Black and Latinx people are more likely to work in low-paying, quick service segments or in back-of-house positions, with limited upward mobility," according to the Michelin Guide.
State of play: Kitchen Combine gives its kitchen space, technology and seating area to a new chef every month to help them see what it would be like to operate a brick-and-mortar with dine-in and pickup orders.
- Ray Pryor's family, who started Kitchen Combine, helps the chefs price their dishes, identify which ones are most profitable and refine their workflow.
- The chefs and the family share the profit, based on sales and operating costs.
- When each chef's month at Kitchen Combine ends, the family plans to continue mentoring them and help them find a more permanent space.
The intrigue: Pryor's family learned the hard way. They opened a seafood restaurant on Matlock Road in Arlington last August but had to shutter it in October after realizing how tough it was to run a restaurant.
- As the space with a 10-year lease sat vacant, some chefs started asking to use it for catering and events.
- The family turned the space into an incubator for promising chefs in the community.
- "There are a lot of prep kitchens that you can use to cook your food, but nothing that looks and feels like a restaurant for your customers to experience," Pryor tells Axios.
And: Even if the chefs realize they don't want to open a restaurant, they won't lose a large investment to reach that conclusion.
- "There are a lot of different paths that I imagine our chefs will take," Pryor says. "My hope is this will open their eyes to all that is possible because now you get a real sense of what that's like on your body, your finances."
Reality check: While the first Kitchen Combine chefs are Black, Pryor says the program is open to people from other backgrounds too. Serving chefs from underrepresented communities, however, will remain a priority.
What's next: Pryor's family hopes other cities will be inspired by Kitchen Combine and try their own version of the program.
- "This is people who have nobody else to look to who have decided to collaborate together to create value for each other," he says.
How to help: Visit the restaurant, become a VIP member or nominate a chef for the program.