Commercial kitchen under construction at Empire Market

Kimberly Barker, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·4 min read

Jul. 27—A commercial community kitchen is being constructed at the Joplin Empire Market that will expand program and educational opportunities, serve as rental space for aspiring chefs, and allow vendors to easily sell prepared foods.

The Downtown Joplin Alliance, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the revitalization of the downtown community, opened the Joplin Empire Market inside a historic brick warehouse at 931 E. Fourth St. in 2018. The building was donated to the alliance by Empire District Electric Co. The four-season market offers produce, meats, coffee, wine and more.

Ivy Hagedorn, program and marketing director with the Downtown Joplin Alliance, said opening a community kitchen has been a goal since the market started. Construction on the kitchen began in May and is almost halfway finished. The tentative completion date is set for this fall.

"We're super excited, and all along, we wanted a kitchen," Hagedorn said. "We envisioned the market as being the heart of the local food scene here in town. We want an affordable, attractive place where aspiring chefs, farmers and anyone interested in seasonal food can come and eat, learn how to prepare food or attend events. This will be able to expand what we do on a weekly and monthly basis. We really think it will be a game-changer for the market."

The commercial kitchen spans roughly 1,500 square feet and will feature a range hood with a stove, prep tables, refrigeration, a dishwashing area, as well as a washer and dryer for linens. It will be inspected by the Joplin Health Department. Corner Greer and Associates Inc. has been hired as the architects, and Crossland Construction Co. is leading the construction.

Hagedorn said the commercial kitchen will benefit vendors, who can expand their menus and offer items they haven't been able to at past markets. She also said that if vendors have any produce leftover, instead of throwing it away, it can be used to create a dish.

"This will allow some of our vendors to provide a wider variety of options all year round," she said. "We have other vendors that raise pastured meat, fresh vegetables and beehives where they can process their own honey. A lot of them have great ideas on how they would like to utilize the kitchen. We also wanted to help our vendors with value-added products, which means if you're a vendor that has excess tomatoes or produce leftovers, what can you do with that after it doesn't sell firsthand to a customer?"

A dining area with tables and chairs is being set up near the entrance of the market. Patrons will be able to see inside of the kitchen through a series of service windows where they also will pick up their food. A chalkboard on the wall will display menu items.

"You can use it to serve hot foods, cold foods," Hagedorn said. "Basically anything that you could serve at a restaurant, we'll be able to do here. You'll be able to come in and get some lunch or breakfast, and we'll have it year-round. We're also really looking forward to it for events."

Hagedorn said the kitchen will also affect the market's meal program for kids and serve as a venue for cooking classes or other events. The free kids' meal program was established at the Joplin Empire Market about three years ago to address local food insecurity, the inability to buy or access healthy foods.

"Right now, we're very limited with our kids' meals," Hagedorn said. "We can only do about 40 to 45 meals per week, and it all has to be food that can be kept cool or refrigerated, so it's things like sandwiches. Once we have the kitchen, not only will we be able to expand the capacity for those meals, but we can also do meal prep, particularly in the winter. We're excited to be able to work with volunteers from KCU medical school to help us with the prep for our kids' meal program."

Hagedorn said the kitchen will be available for rental by the public for events or catering. Fundraising efforts for the community kitchen began last year, and more than $350,000 in donations and grants has been raised. The group needs an additional $100,000 for the project.