Home resource center, commercial kitchen coming to Troy area

Brooke Harris, owner of the State Line House bar at 146 Highway 2, and Heidi Junkersfeld have created a nonprofit named SPUD — social progress for underdeveloped communities — that will incorporate a community certified kitchen and a home resource store. The facilities will be located at the bar.

The two aspects of the nonprofit will work together, with the home resource store raising funds for the creation of the commercial kitchen.

Harris and Junkersfeld plan to rent the kitchen out to people who want to safely and legally process food to sell locally, and to gain health certifications themselves. In some cases the latter would mean those using the kitchen would not have to gain certification on their own.

“The kitchen will initially be a cottage kitchen, for making processed foods that can be sold at farmers markets, or through SPUD,” Harris said. “Being certified as a cottage kitchen means the site will be inspected by the health department, and will need to have certain ventilation and levels of cleanliness.”

The initial cost to become a cottage kitchen is about $1,500, Harris said, and they hope to have the cottage kitchen certification by winter.

“The long-term plan is to become a certified commercial kitchen, so we could have people making cheese or processing meat for sale in the kitchen,” Junkersfeld said.

They also plan to hold classes in the kitchen and home resource section.

“Anyone is welcome to hold a class with a loose ‘homesteading’ theme,” Junkersfeld said. “There will be a 70/30 financial split to the instructor and SPUD of any donations made during the class.”

Junkersfeld will hold SPUD’s first class — how to make raw, fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut — at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27.

SPUD also wants to reach anyone who can donate either time or money to build a small shelter to house donated building supplies, including lumber, hardware, furniture and paint.

Harris said to think of it as a thrift store for building supplies, and to consider clearing all those old windows or stacks of tin out of your garage and donate them so they can be useful to someone.

“People in Lincoln County are so resourceful,” Harris said. “We know how to make something from nothing,and what we want to make is a community center where everyone benefits.”

Harris encourages anyone who is interested in the project to call 406-426-5030 or email hjunkersfeld@hotmail.com.