January 21, 2024

Palouse Community Center Board



Program Proposal 

from Claire Echanove
claire.echanove@gmail.com
(509) 595-0046

A request for prorated day-use rental or equitable exchange, allowing local residents use of the commercial kitchen facilities at the Palouse Community Center




About Me

My name is Claire Echanove; I started working in the service industry when I was 15 at my Mom’s restaurant, The Green Frog. Working there was one of the most special times in my life for many reasons: I got to work next to my mom, I got to see my friends everyday, and I got to be a small part in our amazing community. I continued to work in the industry when I moved to Seattle, picking up new skills and knowledge from different kitchens. Not everyone can see the magical parts about working in the service industry but I found my passion there. Since returning to the Palouse in 2020, I’ve shared my love for cooking and baking with family and friends. In May 2023, I booked my first catering job for a Mother's Day event at Swale. Since then I’ve provided services for the Palouse Library Kaffee Klatch, St. Elmo Community Meeting, Palouse Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, and the Swale Christmas Open House. I’ve received so much support from our community which has given me the courage to dream bigger. One day I hope to have my own space and kitchen in downtown Palouse but there are many steps I need to take before then, and I believe renting the Community Center kitchen is my first leap.    

About My Business

My community catering business is called My Treat™️. I provide custom-built menus for every kind of gathering: community meetings, local book clubs, neighborhood parties, and beyond. I work directly with clients to design the tasty treats that reflect the best of our community. I specialize in sweet treats, savory spreads, artisan breads, and the best dips of your entire life. I prioritize sourcing local ingredients from our network of rural business owners.

In January, I offered fluffy loaves of grilling bread, perfect for toasted winter sandwiches. I baked and delivered these loaves to over 20 neighbors in Palouse. You can see more about my business at my website here:
https://mytreat.cargo.site/


Community Need

It has been discouraging to manage the reality of living and working in Palouse while navigating our community’s scarcity of rental properties—both housing and retail. We all know there is a crisis of affordability in our community and the ripple effects of this have long-lasting negative impact. I think the Palouse Community Center could fill a viable need for rural entrepreneurs like myself, and I propose we “test-drive” a program that would allow local small business owners discounted access to the commercial kitchen. I am interested in helping plan, execute, and pilot this model, especially if it means that it may create new opportunities for my neighbors.

Regional Precedent

There are other communities in Whitman County piloting this kind of program, but we all know that Palouse usually does things differently, and usually better! Both Colfax and the Port of Whitman have been researching and intend to launch small business support programs. 


Food Service Business Incubator Proposal

I piloted my business model last month and received over 20 subscriptions with minimal advertising, it was really exciting! Reviews have been positive, and it was a great way for me to connect with so many of my neighbors. 

My net profit from this pilot was $150 after materials and ingredients costs. Because I was using a residential kitchen with a very small capacity oven, it required almost 50 hours of baking! Whoops! I want to access larger capacity kitchen equipment to do the baking more efficiently, but I have very limited startup funds (and plenty of startup energy).

This profit margin isn’t enough for me to afford the community center kitchen at the current day rate—this is why I would love the opportunity to see if I can grow my capacity with access to better equipment, before having to invest in loans or major equipment purchases. I also want this to be a business that serves and operates directly in Palouse; I am not interested in outsourcing production in Pullman or Moscow, where there are more amenities. 

These are some ideas I have come up with, based on what feels reasonable and affordable, and wanting to use community resources to collaborate with local Palouse organizations:
  • Access to the Community Center kitchen, 2x/month on a low demand or no rental day (maybe Monday/Tuesday, whatever is best for your schedule). I imagine needing 8-10 hours for production and I am open to funny scheduling!
  • $25/day rate for use of the kitchen only, and donation of 3 loaves of bread to the Senior Meal on the week when I used the kitchen OR
  • 10% cut of net profit (calculated per subscription) for the use of the kitchen only, and donation of 3 loaves of bread to the Senior Meal on the week when I used the kitchen


Future Dreams

Maybe the program could support 3-6 months of discounted rates to interested business owners? Maybe folks could purchase annual “Kitchen Memberships” for access to the discounted rate for one calendar year? I am open to other ideas, and interested in what you all think. I know the Community Center is already an amazing resource to Palouse, and would love to see the usage grow in beautiful and reciprocal ways. 

I also think that maintaining a generous program like this could result in more food service possibilities in Palouse. Maybe potential restaurateurs want to pilot some pop-up dining events. Maybe other small vendors are interested in batch-producing food products in a commercially-sound kitchen. Supporting local folks in dreaming big could result in a seasonal market or a new coffee shop! 


Thanks for your consideration, please be in touch because I would love to talk more about this.




Claire Echanove
claire.echanove@gmail.com
(509) 595-0046