Downtown Hazleton Revitalization Strategies

Shared Kitchen Incubator

The Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress worked in partnership with the Hazleton Art League, local and regional food, entrepreneurship and culinary arts education providers, and other organizations affiliated with The Hazleton Innovation Collaborative (THInC), to develop a comprehensive shared-kitchen incubator program designed to support aspiring and existing food entrepreneurs. 

The program, launched in 2021, includes education, small business development assistance, and access to a new shared-kitchen at the Hayden Family Center for the Arts in downtown Hazleton. The commercially-licensed kitchen is now available for lease to food startups. Visit www.hazletonkitchen.org for more information>>>

This  kitchen construction project was funded with a $50,000 grant from the First Federal Charitable Foundation, a $48,000 Rural Business Development grant from the US Department of Agriculture, and other private donations.​

Above photo by Joseph Pecora.

In 2020 the Greater Hazleton COVID-19 Recovery & Resiliency Task Force, in partnership with the The Hazleton Innovation Collaborative (THInC), commissioned a Shared Kitchen Incubator Program Implementation Plan to advance the project. This study was conducted by Winifred McGee with funding provided by the Luzerne County Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act grant via the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce.