Center for Nonprofits Makes Plans for Commercial Kitchen

The impending expansion of the Northwest Arkansas Community College culinary program is highly anticipated in Bentonville because of accompanying amenities that will include a public market, restaurants, a brewery and entertainment options.

“Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food,” as it was renamed late last year, will serve as the anchor for a development filled with food-related businesses when it opens later this year in the former Tyson Foods Inc. plant on Southwest Eighth Street in the downtown Market District.

While the new features, coupled with the prospect of raising the standards of the program, are great reasons to embrace the expansion, The Jones Trust is also looking forward to utilizing some kitchen space that will be left vacant by NWACC at the Center for Nonprofits at St. Mary’s in Rogers.

The plan is to rent the kitchen by the hour to entrepreneurs who need an FDA-approved commercial kitchen to produce their products, but don’t have access to one.