Pueblo's Fuel & Iron set to open full-scale commissary kitchen next month

Pueblo’s Fuel & Iron announced Wednesday it is set to open Fuel Kitchens — its long-anticipated full-scale commissary kitchen that will serve as a business incubator for the city’s food entrepreneurs — in March.

The kitchen, which is viewed by some as potentially transformative for Pueblo’s culinary ecosystem, will be publicly unveiled March 1 during a grand opening ceremony between 1 and 3 p.m. According to Fuel & Iron, it's the first kitchen of its type in Pueblo.

The facility is located at 1745 N. Erie Ave., the former Budweiser building, and will be a “one-stop shop” for food trucks, caterers, community makers and bakers, said Jolene “JoJo" Collins, the director of operations and mentorship for Fuel Kitchens.

Collins estimates the kitchen could accommodate up to 60 businesses. Because it's an incubator, the "end goal" is for members to obtain the sales and financial capabilities to open their own kitchens within southeast Colorado, Fuel Kitchens stated in a news release.

"We're all just really excited to be out of construction and actually be able to offer a service to the community," Collins told the Chieftain. "We're pumped. I'm really optimistic what a facility like this can offer folks who want to work in food in Pueblo."

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Fuel Kitchens will operate on a membership basis but offer a day pass for people who temporarily need the space.

As of Thursday afternoon, Fuel Kitchens had interest from around 20 businesses and makers who want to become members or use the pass.

Since March 2023, Collins has offered 40 tours of the facility.

What members will be able to access inside the kitchen

In August, Collins, who owns Jojo’s Siracha, shared with the Chieftain what resources food entrepreneurs will have at their disposal once they step inside the 25,000-square-foot building.

The space features a 2,000-square-foot walk-in refrigerator, a freezer that is three times that size and spacious dry storage and packing and shipping areas. The 3,000-square-foot kitchen offers space for cooking or baking.

Collins also spoke highly of the kitchen’s expected efficiency because of its four-port loading deck and double-door access that is wide enough to move loaded pallets.

Equipment within Fuel Kitchens includes food processors, ovens, stock pot burners and mixers, among other commercial cooking items. There will be 24-hour access to the facility.

Members will be able to network with other makers and Collins, who can share more with them about how to approach packaging, sales, marketing and more.

"In order to have good pathways for folks in Pueblo in food and culinary arts, you have to create an ecosystem," Collins said Thursday. "Our mission is for Pueblo to be the best place in Colorado to start a food business."

Fuel Kitchens latest project from Fuel & Iron to cross finish line

Fuel Kitchens is the latest endeavor from Fuel & Iron. Lead developers Zach Cytryn and Nathan Stern opened the Fuel & Iron Food Hall in April 2023, following months of renovations. It’s home to several budding Pueblo businesses and has quickly become a community favorite in the downtown area.

Next on Fuel & Iron's docket is a planned urban farm. It is described as a “tangible, land-based link” between downtown Pueblo and farmlands east of Pueblo County where people can access local food. The project is slated to open in 2025.

"Looking at that whole ecosystem of food system, food entrepreneurship and culinary arts — we're trying to put all those pieces together," Collins said. "A project like (the kitchen) is one of those big pieces of the puzzle."

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Chieftain reporter Josué Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Here's what to know about Pueblo Fuel & Iron's new commissary kitchen