Tiny Farm Kitchen
The Tiny Farm Kitchen
More than just a community kitchen, this mini-commissary is set in the heart of the Tiny Farm and beside the Tool Library and gardens growing herbs and veggies.
With equipment from the Tool Library onsite, not only can we preserve food when it’s bountiful, but we can preserve it creatively, learn in the process, empower new food projects and small business startups, and share this food with people in our communities who need it!
It’s a hub to connect all the pieces.
Rental Rates:
$30 flat fee + $10/hour
* discounts on longer periods & for non-profits
Minimum rental:3 hours
Details
Equipment: commercial fridge, dish sanitizer, 2-bay 21″ deep pot sink with overhead sprayer; induction stove with oven; pots, pans, smallwares, servingware; dishes for 12; cleaning supplies.
Accessibility: accessible to small & tall, with patio at grade, smooth surfaces, and hydraulic worktops that lift & lower; motion-sensor handwash station, accessible parking onsite; 6′ wide door openings.
Specialty Tools & Equipment: tin canning machine, grain mills, chamber vacuum sealer are in the kitchen and may be added to your rental.
More equipment is available to members of the Sunshine Coast Tool Library (next door): cider press, dehydrators, burners, chafing dishes, bain maries, steam juicers, incubators, fermentation crocks, pressure canners, steam canners, etc.
Ways we (and you can) use the Kitchen
Learning
A hub for mentors, teachers & learners. Book for your own classes and groups, or attend one of ours – we focus on food literacy, nutrition, traditional and cultural food preservation, and emergency preparedness.
Product & Business Development
Acting as a micro-commissary, small food businesses can experiment, create, and package for farmers markets, retail, and beyond.
Food Waste & Rescue
Food rescue projects get food where it belongs – into bellies, instead of the landfill or attracting bears into yards. Fruit tree picks and farm bounty become jams, soups, syrup, dehydrated snacks, or freeze-dried meals.
Charitable Food
A base for volunteers to cook inclusive meals for people facing barriers to nutritious food, distributed through a mobile Soup Kitchen, seniors’ programs, food kits, or events.
Pop-ups & Events
Chefs can host on-farm pop-ups to trial new menu offerings or host multi-course meals in a beautiful setting; or cater your wedding or meeting onsite.
Seed Saving & Trials
In a sterile environment, farmers & growers can process, sort and package saved seed, and study for variety trials and regional seed development in the face of climate change.
Connections
Nurturing our community’s spiritual and mental well being, in an inviting and accessible space where there’s a sense of belonging, connecting ideas, generations and cultures.
Bulk & Batch Prep
Buying in bulk or cooking in large batches saves time, cleaning, and energy. Sterile surfaces, scales, and vac-pack sealers help you split, weigh, repackage, and share.
The Story
We’ve spent years supporting elders to share their knowledge and skills. At a workshop in 2022, we noticed two elders not participating and teaching actively at a workshop, because they couldn’t stand at the tall counters, and couldn’t see if they sat down. The elders also often said they didn’t enjoy the stark steel of industrial kitchens, and wanted to teach somewhere that felt more like home.
We love teaching and working in community kitchens all over the Coast. But our entire focus is FOOD, and as our organization grew, so did the need for our own kitchen. One that felt colourful, warm and cozy. One that could be adaptable for all the different uses and people, with mobile worktops that could raise and lower. And of course, one that was still commercial so our community could create in a safe, licensed space.
In 2022, Casandra Fletcher began planning with local chefs, teachers, disability advocates, elders, and small food business startups, and together, we dreamed, planned, and sourced partners.
Lucky for us, some amazing funders and local businesses believed in us and wanted to invest in you and our community. The dream team of Casandra, Caitlin Allenby, Lisa Giroday, and Jack Chen worked with over a dozen local businesses and funders to create a space that was accessible, functional, and didn’t *feel* like an industrial kitchen.
We buttoned this 2-year project up in 2024.
Funded by the good people at:
And our local community-builders, who donated skills, equipment & time:
Become a member
Membership supports our work and keeps you connected with a few perks!
