Bay View Community Center Unveils Commercial Kitchen

Bay View Community Center, 1320 E. Oklahoma Ave. Photo take Oct. 28, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.

Bay View Community Center (BVCC) unveiled its renovated space this month to high praise from city officials, who toured the center’s expanded food pantry and new commercial kitchen.

“The Bay View Community Center has long been an asset to those not just in the 14th District, but everyone across the city,” said Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic in a statement. “Food insecurity knows no boundaries, and with the renovations unveiled [Monday], they will be able to continue to grow their reach and expand their service offerings to support local families and combat this issue.”

The completion of the six-month-long, $730,000 project is a positive development for a growing number of community members who rely on the center’s food distribution services. But it’s also a boon for culinary startups and mobile food businesses, many of which have struggled to find commercial kitchen space in the area — especially after a destructive fire at Oak Creek’s Common Cookhouse in 2022.

The updated facility will address the regional shortage, offering rentable commercial kitchen space to entrepreneurs, as well as support from mentors and access to opportunities for marketing and selling goods. 

The previous kitchen, original to the 1957 building, was “outdated and underutilized,” said Mike Mortell, president and CEO of BVCC, adding that the new facility “returns value as a space for those who are ready to take their food business idea to the next level.”

It will also serve as a part-time space for community cooking classes, culinary demonstrations and youth programming for up to 15 hours each week.

Food Pantry Improvements

The project also gives a boost to the BVCC Emergency Food Pantry, which has seen a steady increase in visitors since 2019. In August and September, the pantry served an average of 1,350 individuals per month — up from 112 nearly five years ago.

As pantry use grew during the pandemic, BVCC found short-term solutions to keep up with demand. But new additions are now in place to increase capacity and efficiency in accepting, storing and distributing more than 8,000 pounds of food each month.

The renovation also modernizes pantry storage, allowing BVCC to establish a “choice model” for customers to pick out the foods they want, rather than receiving a pre-packed box. The change “brings more dignity to the pantry experience and greatly reduces food waste,” the center said in a news release.

A group of volunteer chefs at BVCC plans to further cut food waste by using surplus produce to prepare soups, sauces and entrees to freeze and distribute up to months later.

Energy Efficiency

Along with a focus on reducing food waste, the center incorporated energy-saving measures into its renovation project. In the future, much of the center and its commercial kitchen equipment will be powered by photovoltaic solar panels installed on the roof of the building.

“Being a fully functioning facility that showcases an energy efficient commercial kitchen using electric rather than natural gas will be a marketable feature,” Mortell said.

Renovations to the center began in May 2023. The project was funded by grants from Hunger Task Force, Grace Presbyterian Church, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Bader Philanthropies and the City of Milwaukee Community Development Grants Administration.

BVCC is located at 1320 E. Oklahoma Ave. The emergency food pantry, which serves those who reside in the 53207, 53221, 53235 and 53215 ZIP codes, is open Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Fridays from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, visit the BVCC website.