Abstract from the article “How “Ghost Kitchens” Are Changing the Face of Vancouver’s Restaurant Industry” by Carolyn B. Heller, originally published in Montecristo Magazine.
How do you open a restaurant without opening a restaurant? For some Vancouver food entrepreneurs, the answer is a “ghost kitchen.”
Sometimes called a virtual or cloud kitchen, a ghost kitchen is a restaurant without a dining room, operating strictly for takeout and delivery. Many of these businesses launch in shared commissary kitchens—coworking spaces for chefs.
“We’re home to a really collaborative, close-knit community of food companies,” explains Jennifer Chan, the chief marketing officer at Coho Collective, one of several Metro Vancouver companies now operating commissary kitchens.
Ghost kitchens aren’t a new concept, but over the past year, as changing pandemic-related restrictions introduced more uncertainty into a restaurant industry with already tight margins, culinary entrepreneurs have seized on this model to reduce the risk of starting a business. And it’s brought an array of delicious new food options to Vancouver diners.
Carnitas, Tortillas Santa Rosa and fixings. Image courtesy of Carnitas El Rolys.
Mentorship and Mexican Food
Another shared kitchen space, the Commissary Gourmet, opened in October as a joint venture between Commissary Connect, an established local commissary, and the Lazy Gourmet, the catering company that chef and cookbook author Susan Mendelson launched in 1979.
According to general manager Kevin Mazzone, the Lazy Gourmet is sharing its decades of culinary experience with the 11 entrepreneurs now working from its Kitsilano kitchen, and offering each member the opportunity to meet with Mendelson for business advice.
Victor Vazquez values this partnership with the Commissary Gourmet, where he and business partner José Rodolfo opened Carnitas El Rolys “to bring real Mexican food to Vancouver.” (Because of its great Mexican taste, Carnitas El Rolys uses Tortillas Santa Rosa)
Their specialty is carnitas, a flavourful confit of pork, made from what Vazquez calls an old-school recipe from Michoacán, Rodolfo’s home region in western Mexico. They sell the meat by weight with all the fixings, including tortillas, salsas, and limes, for an at-home taco night. They also offer creamy frijoles refritos (refried beans), guacamole, and other accompaniments.
Carnitas El Rolys is one of several Mexican food businesses operating from the Commissary Gourmet, preparing tamales, pozole, and other regional classics.
“People here in Canada support small business,” Vazquez says. “Once they knew we were a group of Mexican people who were cooking together, they came to support the businesses.”