Here is the complete list of what we posted daily during our crowd funding campaign through Facebook.

Reason #1: Sharing is caring. Resource sharing is the hottest economic trend. Send me a <Like> if you shared a kitchen with someone to cook food and had a good time doing it.

Reason #2: Food idea birth center. If you have a interesting food idea, you can use The Cauldron Kitchen Inc to make it and then try selling it.

Reason #3: Food chain gap closure. A shared commercial kitchen is also called micro-processor space. The Cauldron Kitchen Inc fills a gap for small businesses to bring their products to retail markets. A City of Edmonton study declared micro-processing space as the number 2 investment to enhance sustainable food culture in a city. This is after investing in greenhouses. http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/documents/FRESH_October_2012.pdf See their food strategy: http://youtu.be/2RxPmgoW1s0

Reason #4: Safer food. Having an accessible commercial kitchen helps small food businesses maintain high quality sanitary practices. An accessible commercial kitchen is the legal alternative to home kitchens. At The Cauldron Kitchen Inc we have stringent processes in place to keep the kitchen clean and tidy. Also, it is in our clients’ best interest to keep it this way for their continued use.

Reason #5: Street food cart commissary. Ottawa’s growing street food scene is a hot trend. These small businesses utilize commercial kitchens to prepare their food before bringing it to the street to serve. The Cauldron Kitchen Inc is a haven for a food cart business.

Reason #6: Aging demographics. A shared commercial kitchen can be used to create a business delivering wholesome food to our elderly population. Access to creative and healthy food choices is important.

Reason #7: A growing capable industry. A recent study in the US surveyed over 44 shared commercial kitchens. Their snapshot discovered a vibrant industry creating many opportunities for their communities. Check out the study and see all the pretty graphs:http://www.econsultsolutions.com/experience/our-projects/food-incubator-study/

Reason #8: Common future. We all need to eat. The Cauldron Kitchen Inc wants you to know where your food comes from and how it was made. Our clients will be happy to know that we support food transparency and local procurement. Have a look at Ottawa’s own food strategy:http://www.justfood.ca/ Our future lies together in what we eat.

Reason #9: Food Market Access. Local foods, local vendors, local ingredients, healthy products, local farmers, local processors, local everything…. WHOLEFOODS is looking for all of these. The Cauldron Kitchen Inc is a food vendor’s link to their market. Check out CBC’s news story about this giant retail store searching for our clients…http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/Ottawa/ID/2443102541/

Reason #10: Street Food Truck Commissary. As we mentioned with the food carts, we have room for food trucks too. The Cauldron Kitchen Inc has a bonus for food trucks: electricity-charging parking. Yes, we can power you up as you work in our kitchen. Contact us, because these spots are hot!

Reason #11: Flexible Schedule Advantage. Having a kitchen that can be rented hourly has the advantage of flexibility. A micro processor (chef) can plan a few months in advance without having to commit to a long term lease. If their schedule works, they can stick to it. If changes need to be made, then the flexibility is there to adjust reservation times.

Reason #12: Value-Added Produce. Farmers selling produce at a market can only sell the prettiest looking produce. The uglier produce is still nutritious, but no one buys it. So what is a farmer supposed to do with it? They can bring it to The Cauldron Kitchen Inc to process into prepared foods and additionally sell it to a retail market.

Reason #13: First Impressions. On March 27th, we hosted an information session for business and individuals interested in The Cauldron Kitchen Inc. It was a pleasant night with some really great people that showed up. Around 15 people came to hear Dave and David speak about the business. Many of the attendees, impressed us with their questions and attitude. We can already see the musings of a culinary community starting. The night also confirmed the need for our business and we received a lot of appreciation for starting such a place. We definitely reached a new level of excitement!!

Reason #14: Collaborative Environment. A shared commercial kitchen creates a space for different businesses to meet and to get along. This mix allows for synergies to develop and for collaborative projects to spur intense creativity and, the obvious, delicious food events. Having met some of the businesses interested in The Cauldron Kitchen Inc, gives us great hope for this collaborative spirit.

Reason #15: Fresh Grads. Ottawa boasts the only Canadian campus for Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute. Just recently a fresh cohort of students graduated. What is their next step in life? Well if they have a great food idea, they can use The Cauldron Kitchen Inc to experiment and try out their ideas. Ottawa also hosts many other schools, such as the Algonquin College’s Culinary Skills Chef Training Program and others.

Reason #16: We are not alone. Shared commercial kitchens have been around for a while. However, it has been in the last 5 years that this business model started to bloom. With the recession, people changed careers and got into food. Shared commercial kitchens were therefore a hotspot to incubate food businesses. Have a look at the Culinary Incubator website to see all the different types of kitchens for rent in North America. http://www.culinaryincubator.com/

Reason #17: Unique Storage Solutions. We all know that Ikea is a haven for organizational decor. Their smooth simple modern lines and easy to assemble (sometimes!) pieces of furniture make it easy for us to make our living spaces neat and tidy. Well at The Cauldron Kitchen, we too are providing easy storage solutions for food businesses. This is one unique item that we offer to our clients. At The Cauldron, we offer our Cauldron Storage Box solution to keep your goods safe and our kitchen spaces tidy. The Cauldron Storage Box is a 2.2 cubic foot box to hold your stuff. It can go in a shelf, in the cooler, or in the freezer. The boxes have padlock holes to secure the contents. Clients will have access to these boxes to use during their time at The Cauldron.

Reason #18: Catering Expansion. Ottawa has a multitude of caters offering delicious food to your event. Most caters have their own kitchen that they work out of to make the food. The Cauldron Kitchen can be used by caters to expand their business without having to expand their own kitchen. Caters can bid for bigger jobs now, knowing that they have an extra kitchen that can support the workload. As well, all the kitchens in the Cauldron can be rented at the same time to meet the needs for a bigger job.

Reason #19: Unique Location. The Cauldron Kitchen has a very desirable locale. We are in a prime spot with easy access to the 417 highway. As well, we are about 8 mins away from Downtown Ottawa, using the Vanier Parkway. We searched for a long time to find this type of place. Some other unique features include the parking for food truck charging, the loading dock for deliveries, and the size of the place for a start-up business. The ceilings are high and because we are an end unit, we are able to use the outside wall for venting. All of these things are a bonus.

Reason #20: Unique Procurement Solution. At the Cauldron, we are offering a special service to all our clients that sign up with a subscription. Procurement services! That’s right, we are going to get group buy discounts, a full time professional procurement officer to handle your goods, and inventory control. Our specialized officer will be able to make the quotes, show you the costs, and order your stuff. Then of course, our handy dandy loading dock will be open for service to get bulk orders delivered. All of this is included in the rental rate.

Reason #21: Unique Equipment Solutions. A commercial kitchen has commercial food processing equipment. All the basics such as your stove, ovens, fryers, mixers, and such. At the Cauldron Kitchen we will provide this equipment to our clients to use at their will. As well, we will provide specialized equipment when needed. Our model is to listen to our clients and find out what a majority of them could use. Then we will scrounge up the cash and bring it to the kitchens. Clients will then have a chance to rent the equipment for a small rate to use during their reserved time.

Reason #22: Unique Kitchen Layout. Kitchen productivity is important for chefs and cooks. You want to ensure you maximize your time in the kitchen to produce the most of your product. We spent a lot of time consulting and designing a layout to work in the space. We have two identical kitchens with the basic equipment, hand washing, prep sinks, refrigerated tables, and stainless steel tables. As well, we have a space with no heating equipment, but set up with stainless steel tables and sinks for raw food processing, packaging, and basic preparations. Our walls have storage shelving, with our unique Cauldron Boxes. We have our walk-in coolers and upright freezers. In the middle of it all, we have our dish pit, outfitted with dishwasher, and 3 compartment sink.

Reason #23: Unique Rental Rates. Providing an affordable kitchen is important to sustain start up food businesses. This way the food business can grow slowly and achieve their goals. The Cauldron Kitchen has an affordable price plan for all businesses. We rent by the hour, with a minimum 4 hour block to start your session. If you rent the kitchen space, it is a flat rate of $20 per hour. If you rent the prep space, it is a flat rate of $15 per hour. Signing up for a subscription package adds services such as procurement, and storage.

Reason #24: Strong Industry Support. In the beginning, all we could talk about is the idea. People started listening. Especially the food industry. We talked to everyone, food shops, food vendors, foodies, and food producers. They believe in the idea. So now that we are working to make it happen, these people again have come out to support us. Everyday, we receive inquiries concerning our kitchen. Our inbox is full of curious people and excited food vendors. Our model is unique, and we are working hard to make it real.

Reason #25: Strong Start-Up Team. This post is to thank the team of people we have encountered to help bring this dream to fruition. There is Candice, Dagne, Dave B, Mark J, Jason D, Michael B, Lorne, Torsten, Ron M, Cam S, Kim V, and Hyatt S. The work is not complete, but this team has magnified our efforts and they deserve recognition.

Reason #26: Strong Advisor Support. This post is to thank the team of people who have shared their wisdom to inspire us. There is Pascale, Warren, Deb O, Jackie, Sheila, Steve B, Robin, Lucas, and Susan. These important people guided us to find our path. We appreciate the light!

Reason #27: Strong Friend Support. This post is to thank our friends who provided us with hours unimaginable to provide their expertise in their own subtle ways. There is Ryan V and Tarek. This project would be too hard to imagine without their support.

Reason #28: Strong Family Support. This post is to thank our families for all the time, excuses, late suppers, etc etc etc… Your understanding and unrelenting support has been what keeps us up at night to keep driving forward. Note that no one can do a project like this alone, and we definitely are not alone!

Reason #29: Dynamic Team. The business relationship between Dave and David has been very eventful. These two have gone through a lot and have learned a lot. Their commitment, loyalty, passion, excitement, and dedication has been the driving force to make this business into a reality. The future looks very bright.

Reason #30: Ottawa deserves one. This city is full of creative food. This creativity needs to surface and become more than just a passing fad. It needs to be sustained. The Cauldron Kitchen is the place to make it happen. It is a place to encourage it. It is a place to find others with similar interests. It is a place to endorse the bigger picture of food security and food sustainability.