Shared kitchens are unlocking Canada’s local food economy. Food Web connects food entrepreneurs with underused licensed kitchens, making it easier to cook, create, and grow locally.
Written by
Justin Andrews
Justin Andrews is a chef-turned-founder who has spent the last decade working across farms, markets, restaurants, nonprofits, and academic research. He’s now the CEO of Food Web, a platform built to unlock underused commercial kitchens and strengthen local food systems. Justin writes about food, entrepreneurship, and the work of building resilient local economies.
Where meals are made.
Across Canada, thousands of certified commercial kitchens sit idle for much of the day while food businesses are searching for affordable, licensed spaces to make their products. At Food Web, we believe sharing is caring, and that shared kitchens can unlock enormous potential in the local food economy.
Much like coworking transformed office space, shared kitchens are reshaping how we cook, create, and connect. By renting kitchens by the hour or day, small food businesses, caterers, and farmers’ market vendors gain affordable access to certified facilities without the high cost or long-term risk of renting/buying their own.
In the United States, shared kitchens have been growing steadily for more than a decade, supported by incubators, co-packing spaces, and community food hubs. In Canada, the movement is catching on, but more slowly. Especially outside of the larger cities. In places like Halifax, Fredericton, or rural Ontario, many food entrepreneurs still find themselves making cold calls, trying to track down a kitchen that fits their needs.
That’s the gap Food Web is here to close.
For kitchen owners/operators (restaurants, cafés, churches, community halls) this model turns downtime into opportunity. Every hour your kitchen sits empty could be an hour helping someone else get their business off the ground, while earning you extra income and strengthening your community.
Across Atlantic Canada and beyond, shared kitchens are becoming a quiet but powerful part of the solution to building a resilient, regionally rooted food system.
Food Web connects both sides of the local food economy in one simple platform.
🍳 For Food Businesses: Browse and rent certified kitchens by the hour. Find spaces that fit your schedule, budget, and equipment needs, so you can focus on creating great food instead of searching for space.
🏠 For Kitchen Owners: List your kitchen for free, set your own rates, and earn money from unused kitchen time while helping others grow.
Our mission is simple: to make it easier to share resources, grow together, and build a stronger, more connected food system.
Whether you’re a food business looking for space or a kitchen owner ready to open your doors, you can be part of the growing shared-kitchen network that’s reshaping Canada’s food future.
Sharing is caring. And together, we can feed the local food economy.
Visit foodweb.network to list or rent a kitchen today.