New culinary hub has already welcomed 35 food and beverage businesses and is expanding opportunity across Rhode Island's food economy

Hope & Main celebrated the official ribbon cutting of West End Kitchens on Friday, October 2, marking a major expansion of its work to help food entrepreneurs launch, scale, and compete. Located at 945 Westminster Street in Providence’s West End, the new facility has already welcomed 35 food and beverage businesses since opening its doors on June 26.

The celebration brought together entrepreneurs, community partners, funders, and supporters who helped transform a long-vacant property into a center for food production, entrepreneurship, and neighborhood investment.

The approximately $10 million project was financed through Capital Impact Partners, the Providence Business Loan Fund, and Rhode Island Housing’s Acquisition and Revitalization Program, with additional support from federal appropriations secured by Senator Jack Reed and contributions from philanthropic, corporate, and individual donors.

“Today feels like a homecoming,” said Lisa Raiola, Founder and President of Hope & Main. “We see longtime members standing shoulder to shoulder with brand-new entrepreneurs, all building something of their own. We’re continuing to welcome new members at West End Kitchens because the demand is clear: people have the ideas and the determination, but too few places offer the affordable kitchens along with the vita business support they need to get started.”

Since 2014, Hope & Main has helped launch and grow more than 550 food and beverage businesses, including many founded by women, immigrants, and entrepreneurs of color. Its flagship incubator in Warren has become a nationally recognized model for food business development. West End Kitchens brings that model to Providence, expanding access to licensed production space, technical assistance, market opportunities, and a community of fellow founders.

The facility includes three shared-use commercial kitchens available for hourly rental, along with a high-volume production kitchen that expands Hope & Main’s co-packing operations. Together, these resources help entrepreneurs test ideas, launch businesses, and increase production without taking on the cost of building and operating their own facilities. Hope & Main’s co-packing program currently supports dozens of emerging brands, helping them meet growing demand and reach new markets.

West End Kitchens also houses operations for TRIO Community Meals, the contracted provider for Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island. This shared-infrastructure model supports meal delivery for Rhode Islanders while making efficient use of space and resources.

“More than proximity, this partnership is about shared purpose,” said Meg Grady, Executive Director of Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island. “Working alongside Hope & Main strengthens our ability to serve Rhode Islanders while creating new opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and community impact.”

Friday’s celebration also highlighted the West End Makers Markets, held every Friday throughout October from 4–7 p.m. at 945 Westminster Street. The markets give emerging businesses a place to generate revenue, introduce their products, and build relationships with customers in their new neighborhood.

Among the speakers was Katie Potter, Founder and Owner of Newport Chowder Co., whose business began as a tribute to her mother, Muriel.

“Hope & Main helped me turn my mother’s chowder recipe into a growing company, and I’m thrilled its second location is opening in Providence to support the next generation of food entrepreneurs,” Potter said.

Potter’s journey has taken her from a dry chowder mix to a chowder cart, a food truck, a Newport restaurant, and broader retail and restaurant distribution. Winning the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream competition helped accelerate that growth. Today, Newport Chowder Co. is co-packed by Blount Fine Foods, a longtime Hope & Main supporter and the namesake of one of the kitchens at West End Kitchens.

“For a small food business, especially a solopreneur, a level playing field is not enough,” Raiola said. “You’re competing with companies that have deeper pockets, established distribution, and entire teams behind them. Small businesses need an unfair advantage. At Hope & Main, we put our thumb on the scale by making kitchens, expertise, production support, and market access affordable and accessible, so entrepreneurs have a real chance to launch, scale, and compete.”