Fahey: Lowcountry Kitchen to provide communal cooking, events space
A 1,400-square-foot building in Bluffton will serve as a commercial kitchen, meeting space, events venue and cooking classroom.
It's called, appropriately enough, Lowcountry Kitchen.
The team behind Bluffton-based food truck Lowcountry Lobster -- formerly Lowcountry Rocks Lobster -- recently opened Lowcountry Kitchen at 258 Red Cedar, Suite 15.
Lori Holland, one of the owners, said it was apparent almost immediately that Lowcountry Lobster needed a non-mobile space in addition to the truck.
"After one event, we said we needed to get a commissary," Holland said. The food truck launched a year ago.
Food trucks typically require a base to store products, prepare food and make ice.
"Originally, I thought (Lowcountry Kitchen) would be for trucks," Holland said. "Now it's turned into something else."
The front half of Lowcountry Kitchen is a "shabby chic, industrial" room that Holland said can host about 24 people for meetings, seminars and other events.
The adjoining 800-square-foot kitchen, which received approval last week from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, can operate as a space for event caterers. A large prep space, commercial kitchen appliances, a walk-in cooler and shelves for dry storage will allow several small businesses to use the space communally, and for area chefs to host cooking classes.
"Food conversations can happen here," Holland said. "It'll be a community hub."
Lowcountry Kitchen can be rented out hourly or monthly, depending on the requirements of individuals or businesses.
Lowcountry Kitchen was modeled after commercial kitchens in Columbia and Colleton County, although Holland added the Bluffton version is significantly scaled down to fit the community.
So far, food truck Kona Ice, a health coach and two caterers have signed on at Lowcountry Kitchen. All participants will be at Lowcountry Kitchen's grand opening and open house 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 5.
Follow reporter Ashley Fahey on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Ashley.
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This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Fahey: Lowcountry Kitchen to provide communal cooking, events space."