Laura Zastrow
Christine Ameigh is at the head of an expanding food empire.
Christine Ameigh, owner of Slide food cart and purveyor of gourmet potato chips, always knew she wanted to open a retail space in the commercial kitchen she operates in the Madison East Shopping Center. But when a driver experiencing a medical issue crashed a car into the Christine’s Kitchens storefront this September, plans for the expansion got pushed ahead of schedule.
“Well, I guess it will be renovated,” Ameigh recalls thinking. “The space has evolved, and it just seems like a good time to do it.”
The store, likely to share the name Christine’s Kitchens, will feature products made by Ameigh’s tenants — all local food entrepreneurs. Now there are 11 businesses working out of the shared kitchen at 2817 E Washington Ave., including Looking Glass Bakery, The Ugly Apple Cafe, Origin Breads, Off the Block Salsa, LushLife Vegan Bakery and Meals by Cassoulet. Ameigh hopes to open as soon as Nov. 9, but says the timeline depends on how quickly contractors can complete the renovations. The only other hurdle that remains is having the nearby McDonald’s sign off on the mix of products sold in the store.
“They get the say for what people are allowed to sell in the entire shopping center — it was part of the terms of their lease,” Ameigh says. “We had to submit a list of all the things for them to review — even the t-shirts and artwork.”
Although the product mix is not finalized, the store will include a display freezer, a pastry case and shelf space for goods like pickled vegetables, preserves and fruit leather. Ameigh also hopes to sell ready-to-eat food and is considering a partnership with a local farmer to offer fresh produce. She expects Origin Breads to be a big draw. “People seriously come to the kitchen every day to buy [Origins] bread, even though it’s available in grocery stores,” Ameigh says.
Christine’s Kitchens opened in 2013 in restaurant space formerly home to several Asian eateries and has expanded as more tenants have joined the operation. To keep up with demand from producers, Ameigh converted the former dining room into more kitchen space. Now, she’s in the process of taking over the space next door to accommodate Origin Breads and Looking Glass Bakery.
“They’ve grown so much they both need more room,” she says, noting that she hopes to bring in even more tenants after the expansion. “I just had someone come in who’s making macarons, someone who’s making eastern European baked goods, someone who’s making barbeque sauce. I don’t think it will be hard to fill the space.”
