BANGOR, Maine — Plans are moving forward to convert an old vestige of the Dow Air Force Base into a hub of culinary innovation.
Once home to the officer’s club, the building at 50 Cleveland St. will be refit as the Bangor Central Kitchen, which the city intends to use as an incubator for restauranteurs and other food entrepreneurs to scale up without having to front the cost of equipment and real estate.
"The ability to expand for people, I think, as well as start-up[s] I think is a big piece of this,” Anne Krieg, the director of community and economic development for the City of the Bangor, said Wednesday.
While few specifics on the Bangor Central Kitchen have been revealed, a study done by a consulting firm envisions a space with commercial kitchens, special event rooms, and the capacity for manufacturing—with the aim of getting small food businesses off the ground. Caroline Paras, the study’s author, predicts the project could result in the creation of more than one hundred jobs and $7 million in sales to businesses that grow as a result of the center.
“I would say it's a pathway for economic mobility for those at all educational levels,” Paras said, adding that the Bangor Central Kitchen will attract members from all income brackets.
Still, there isn’t any clear idea of whether these lofty goals of a city-funded culinary center would result in the kind of boom to Bangor’s food scene. Jen Ramos, who owns Bangor Sandwich Company with her husband, notes the difficulties of the industry which is notorious for its high failure rate.
“You have to be organized and you have to come in with a plan because once you buy it, you're off and running.”
Despite this, Ramos and others feel optimistic about plans for the Bangor Central Kitchen. “I think if you had a place like that and you were brand new to the restaurant business, that would be a huge help.”
Construction on the Bangor Central Kitchen isn’t expected to begin until late 2024.