SLIPPERY ROCK — Some time in the future, the Slippery Rock area may be hosting a shared commercial kitchen.

John Golden, managing director at Slippery Rock University's Sustainable Enterprise Accelerator and a business professor at SRU, said the kitchen is a main project for the SEA.

“It's one that we're really just getting started trying to get off the ground,” Golden said.

These kitchens are actual commercial kitchens that small entrepreneurs and farmers share. The products made or preserved in the kitchen would be available for retail sale.

A couple of years ago, the SEA was looking for projects that would benefit SRU students and the local business community. Golden noted that a lot of farmers and other people looking to develop enterprises had one thing in common that they wanted to work with.

“It was food,” Golden said.

So, he began talking to farmers and developing relationships with business owners and other groups.

In October 2011, a mini conference held at SRU discussed the idea of a shared commercial kitchen. From the conference, Golden found out there was a lot of interest in such a kitchen.

“Wow, we could really use one here,” Golden said.

Such a kitchen could help solve a simple problem. Golden said there is a big market for locally-grown food in urban areas such as Pittsburgh and Erie, and there is a large supply of locally-grown food in Butler County. However, that food has a short shelf life.

Golden said a kitchen could extend product life by giving farmers and others the ability to preserve or can foods, or make recipes with food.

“The need is becoming obvious,” Golden said.

Now that the need is known, Golden said the next step is lining up support for the project, particularly business and political support.

Golden met with SRU President Cheryl Norton and business Dean Kurt Schimmel. Norton noted that SRU has a commercial kitchen on campus in North Hall it is not using. Golden said that SRU has not committed to having it on campus, but is open to exploring the possibility.

He also spoke with AVI Foodsystems, which does food service for SRU.

He said the chef there said that if the project benefits SRU and the community, AVI would consult on the project at no charge.

Bill Sonntag, president of Slippery Rock Development, said Golden attended one of the group's meetings recently and briefly discussed the idea of a sustainable commercial kitchen.

“Everybody thought it was an idea worth pursuing,” Sonntag said.

He said he is not sure what kind of demand there is in the area for such a kitchen.

“If there's enough demand then I think it's a good idea,” Sonntag said.

The project got a letter of endorsement from the group.

Bob McCafferty, owner of the North Country Brewing Co., said he has spoken to Golden about the project, and he has an interest in it.

“I see a potential there,” McCafferty said.

One thing he is interested in is humane beef processing. He said that it can be hard to find slaughterhouses that see through the whole USDA inspection process. A smaller, more local processing plant will help business owners see the process from beginning to end, he said.

The SEA has five interns working on the project.

Lola Kaltenbaugh, an intern who is taking the lead on the project, said a similar project in Mercer County lost steam, partially because it did not have enough political support.

She said that finding political support for this project will be a major priority.

Following getting support, Golden said the next steps will be finding out what the exact use of the kitchen would be, finding grants to help pay for the project and finding what facilities are available to use.

Because the project is in such an early stage, Golden said he is not sure how long it will take to get up and running, how much it will cost or what the organizational structure will look like.

Golden said it is likely an advisory panel to help oversee the project will be formed.

“We don't pretend to be experts at this,” Golden said.

He said the SEA is serious about getting the project going.

“We're on this,” Golden said.