Whether you’re doing commercial food production, or want to rent a commercial kitchen a few times a year for personal use, there are some great options around the city. Are we missing a commercial kitchen? Let us know so we can update the list!
Commercial Kitchens by Region
Central
Manning Canning has commercial kitchens for rent at Laird and Eglinton, with free parking.
Fabulous Cakes has a commercial kitchen for rent on Steeles Ave just west of the 400.
You can email the Gallery in the Market Kitchen at kitchen@stlawrencemarket.com about their high-end kitchen space, appropriate for classes and other group activities.
Out by Eglinton and Laird, you can find the Toronto Commercial Kitchen, with great access and features available to members. AA Commissary
Wicksteed Avenue, Toronto
416-316-5216
torontocommercialkitchen.com
getcooking@
At Avenue Road and Eglinton, Marni Wasserman runs a series of cooking classes from their studio commercial kitchen, which is also available to rent for photoshoots, filming, and staff meetings.
www.marniwasserman.com
East End
Eat Savage offers Commercial Kitchen Rentals in Oshawa.
West End
The Depanneur – a foodie paradise in its own right – rents out kitchen space at 1033 College.
Earth and City rents out their commercial kitchen hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
Food Share rents out kitchen space through their Toronto Kitchen Incubator at 90 Croatia.
Whose Catering offers a Kitchen Rental Program with very reasonable rates in Mississauga, at Dixie and Matheson.
Other Venues
In addition to the options above, many small-scale producers find success renting kitchens from local restaurants after-hours. These have the advantage of being health-inspected, and if you take the time to build a good relationship with the restaurateur, can be a cost-effective, local solution.
Other Considerations
When you’re renting a kitchen, there are some common-sense rules to live by. The first is to read and respect the rules of the kitchen – you want to build a good relationship, and that means cleaning up after yourself, adhering to agreed upon times and terms, and making prompt payment for the rental. You’ll generally be provided all of the equipment you need for whatever activities you tackle – remember that your first time renting a kitchen you will be slowed down learning the layout, so leave yourself extra time. You’ll generally be expected to provide all of the materials and supplies (ingredients and consumable supplies like mason jars, lids, and other packaging). Some commercial kitchens will allow you to use their supplies and materials for a fee – when available, this can be a cost-effective option.
Commercial Use
When you’re wanting to rent a kitchen to produce foods that will be sold by the public, it’s important to make sure you’re renting a certified commercial kitchen. All of the kitchens listed in this post are certified commercial kitchens, but be careful if you decide to source kitchen space from churches or other community venues, as they may not have the certification you require.
Personal Use
If you’re just producing foods for personal use, you don’t have the same requirements as a commercial user. Although you obviously want to rent a kitchen that is hygienic and well-managed, a commercially certified isn’t required. In addition to the locations listed in this post, take the time to talk to local community groups and churches, and you may find a kitchen that isn’t certified – but gives you the space and equipment you need to produce larger volumes outside of the house.
Additional Resources
Food Forward (pushfoodforward.com) maintains a Commercial Kitchen Directory for Toronto.
Alimentary Initiatives maintains a list of hot kitchens for rent in Toronto, with advice for small-scale producers.
It wouldn’t hurt to do a quick search on Kijiji.
