By Helina Bailey

Fall is here and its finally time for the hearty autumn dishes we all love. We’ve waited all year long, unable to use our ovens for fear of heating up our homes during the blazing summer. As it cools down, even with the surprise hot days here and there, many of us are geared up to cook our hearts out. With Thanksgiving around the corner, I’ve certainly got pumpkin pie and roasted turkey on my mind.
As I dream of decadent desserts and the fall flavors that I love, I cannot help but wonder what the other home bakers are up to. I imagine the sweet scents that are filling the homes of my neighbors and how wonderful the meals are, wishing I had an opportunity to sink my teeth into those home cooked meals. Naturally, this has led my mind to the new commercial kitchen in Maynardville at the Farmers Market Pavilion. It’s the perfect place for local chefs and bakers aspiring to share their food with the community.
The community kitchen is available this holiday season for locals who want to try their hand at selling their baked goodies and homemade dishes to bring in some extra income. Our very own Aaron Russell recently shared his fabulous dream of opening a “pop-up restaurant" out of the kitchen. I am hopeful that he will as his pop-up pizza parlor sounds like an amazingly good time!
Because Mr. Russell shared his idea with me, I reached out to the community kitchen manager, Leanah Nau, and board president, Donna. The kitchen is open and ready for use with minimal requirements in order to book it. According to Leanah, locals wanting to cook in the kitchen only need to hold a food handler’s certificate and food liability insurance in order to book a kitchen agreement. A food handler’s certificate can be obtained online for $15, by going through a short online course and taking the exam at the end of the course. You can access this by going to https://www.servsafe.com/ServSafe-Food-Handler . FLIP, or Food Liability Insurance Program, is an insurance provider that is easy to set up and can be found at https://www.fliprogram.com/
Once these two requirements have been met, chefs are required to sign a “kitchen agreement” promising to abide by the kitchen rules for safety and cleanliness. Then, they are free to book the kitchen for pop-up events or to cook out of. Currently, the kitchen is still in need of baker’s racks and commercial grade stove cleaners. Chefs will need to supply their own pots, pans, mixing bowls, and utensils. The kitchen provides all of the large equipment along with access to the walk-in fridge and freezer. However, chefs will need to bring their own baker’s racks to use in the oven and should expect to put in some elbow grease to clean the flat top grill after use.
Although it has not been done yet, the pavilion is available for large events. Leanah has said that she wants to see the pavilion and kitchen being enjoyed by the community. She envisions it being a hot spot for “date night” with dancing, live music, food, and good-hearted old fashion fun. She is working towards creating this and hopes that Union County will see a Fall Ball in the near future. She also hopes to see the storage room being utilized as a store through which locals can sell the food they prepared in the kitchen to the community.
If you have visited the farmers market or attended the Trunk or Treat on Halloween, you have undoubtedly noticed the prison style toilets and might have reservations about booking an event here. Rest assured; the long row of toilets will eventually have stalls. The farmers market board is working towards carving out time and finding someone to install them so that people are not on full display when they visit the commode.
To book the pavilion for large events, contact Donna Riddle at (865) 745-2902. To book the kitchen for part time use or a pop-up event, contact Leanah Nau at HeritageFMK@gmail.com