Two businesses team up for a test kitchen and food hub in downtown Wilmington

A new venue is in the works for North Third Street in downtown Wilmington. It started as a project from growing Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar brand to build a test kitchen and offer a place to help franchise owners.

“We saw the need for a non-live kitchen,” said Jonathan Weathington, CEO. "And a place for training."

The locally born business now has nine locations in North Carolina, and more in South Carolina, Illinois, Florida and Georgia -- and at least four soon-to-open sites are planned. It wasn't long, though, before they saw more possibilities for what the space could be.

Now, they’re working with Genesis Block in that organization’s ongoing efforts to grow opportunities for food entrepreneurs. The space at 406 and 408 N. Third St. will be home to a commercial kitchen, offer a home base for food trucks, have a take-out window with regular service hours, and be a place for pop-up restaurant events.

“We won’t need it for Shuckin’ Shack all the time,” Weathington said, so they’re working out a lease agreement for the new Block Kitchenz project.

Genesis Block worked with Cape Fear Community College for the similar Block Eatz project, which opened last year in the McKeithan Center on the North Campus. Girard Newkirk, a founder of Genesis Block, said they expect to be able to work with more budding entrepreneurs downtown.

“The possibilities are limitless,” Weathington said.

The two properties are a combined 4,000 square feet, he said, in two equally sized buildings. One will be devoted to office space. The other will include a 900-sqare-foot kitchen, and space for events and a conference room. There’s also a private parking lot that could be a home base for four or five food trucks.

“And it’s right downtown. It’s so convenient,” Weathington said.

The space is right beside The Eagle’s Dare bar at 420 N. Third St. and on the same block as Flytrap Brewing on Walnut Street. Newkirk said he can envision the kitchen being an asset to those businesses, and others like it close by. In addition to the food trucks, caterers or others will ideally be able to reserve space in the commissary kitchen or host pop-ups.

Newkirk said they'd like to offer window-service hours for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. Weathington said they're hoping to start in mid-May.

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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Shuckin' Shack, Genesis Block team up for test kitchen in Wilmington, NC