75 - Sketching inside a Kitchen
do you know how commissary kitchens work?
👋 Hello, readers!
Last week, I was invited to make SneakyArt at a commissary kitchen space in Burnaby. I made drawings while on my feet for 2.5 hours, hopping out of the way of fast-moving trolleys and people carrying trays. I learned some fascinating things!
🍰🍝🥗🍲🥙 YVR Prep
YVR Prep is one of several commissary kitchens in the greater Vancouver area. I didn’t know anything about the concept until they emailed me and offered a tour of their facility.
Scenario #1 - You make jams to sell in select supermarkets in your area. You need to store fruit in cold-storage. You need to work with large pots and burners to cook the jam. It needs to go into neatly labeled jars. You need to keep a lot of jars somewhere. You need to make and apply a lot of labels!
Scenario #2 - You have a small business to prep and deliver ready-to-eat meals for businesses and local supermarkets. You need to buy and store large quantities of perishable food items, as well as suitable packing material.
Scenario #3 - You sell Brazilian comfort food to fulfill individual orders. Orders are variable, volumes are variable, and you need a place to work at odd times on an irregular schedule.
A commissary kitchen extends the potential of co-working spaces to food entrepreneurs. It provides professional infrastructure to facilitate the work of independent chefs and food entrepreneurs. YVR Prep is used by 50+ small businesses!
Everyone works as per their own schedule. Some are here everyday, others once or twice a week. Some work during the day, and some only at night. The space is open 24/7.
Even beyond infrastructure, there are so many benefits for a small business working around other small businesses. It is a great way to collaborate and build upon good ideas, to be inspired, and to inspire others.
I was gratified that everyone at YVR Prep was so enthusiastic about my presence. I was nervous about being in their way!
My sketches will be used on promotional material for YVR Prep as well as for the individual vendors that I was able to draw that day.
It’s been less than a year for me in this new city, this new country, this new part of the world. Every time someone reaches out to me for a work opportunity, it is a blessing. Food-entrepreneurs, especially some that work with under-represented cuisines, face a similar uphill challenge but with enormous initial costs. It makes me very happy to see that services like YVR Prep exist. I think it is a concept that can thrive all over the world!
📬 Insider Content
Last week, I shared the episode with Koosje Koene on the SneakyArt Podcast, and 4 good ideas from our conversation. With my Insiders, I shared thoughts about an idea from James Clear - “Have systems, not goals.”
This weekend, I will share an exclusive Post-Script of the conversation with SneakyArt Insiders.
In this Post-Script, we talk about -
⏳ managing our time and energy as solo creative entrepreneurs,
🔃 repurposing and recycling work across multiple projects,
📚 the choices of traditional vs independent publishing.
+ 🙋♂️ some good answers to this question posed by Danny Gregory -
Why do you even want to publish a book?
Hit the button to get it in your inbox!
Next week, I will have a new episode of the SneakyArt Podcast, and a new YouTube video. Thanks for reading. I am glad for your time and attention.
This was unique in that I’ve only seen the sketches of people either in leisure outside or sitting in transit or in a cafe inside. This is nice as you are capturing something indoors where people are actively working.
Love the way your art is so rooted in community and people.