The town of New Market is developing The Crossroads Commissary Kitchen for local businesses and the public to use, with some help from Virginia’s state government. WMRA’s Kate Bean reports.
The shared space of the New Market Community Center will be used to prep and refrigerate produce, and store and pack products. One of the first businesses to use the space will be Crazy Fox Coffee Roasting Company.
[ROASTERY & CUSTOMER SOUNDS]
Kevin Fox has been operating the coffee company for more than ten years. Starting as a two person operation, it has evolved into a fully staffed coffee shop and small-batch roasting business. As demand continued to grow, Fox was in need of a larger kitchen space. One of his regulars, town councilman and local businessman Jon Henry, had a solution. Fox said –
KEVIN FOX: They were trying to come up with a plan of what to do with that community center.
The Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund is awarding New Market a matching grant of $41,500 to build the kitchen. Fox’s business also received an AFID grant to buy new equipment in the community kitchen: a larger roaster, an automated weigh-and-fill machine, and a machine to make instant coffee pods.
The kitchen will help local businesses reach new markets and produce at larger scales. It will also benefit the community with educational opportunities and accessibility to locally grown food.
FOX: The kitchen is going to be open to the community, whether it's people renting it for a birthday party, or some event or get-together. … During this time of year, especially in this part of the valley, a lot of people garden and they can bring all their supplies and produce from their garden and come up there and can it.
The New Market Community Center has been temporarily closed since 2022 as committees work on planning and securing funds for renovations. The kitchen is the next step in revitalizing the center.
FOX: I think it’s gonna be such a contrast from the stark brick school building that was built in like the 1940’s or 50’s, to what it’s gonna become years down the road. It really makes me look forward to the future.
The kitchen is currently under renovation, with the goal of opening to the public mid-2026.