INDIANAPOLIS — Nearly two years ago, The Cooking Station Indy on the north side was an empty shared kitchen.
Now it has become a hub for cooking and community, with more than 100 small businesses using the space. This weekend, you can taste their creations at a food truck competition.
Ankit Patel owns Indi Taco, which he describes as "a twisted Indian Mexican kitchen."
"We have Mexican Indian tacos, basically birria taco, but we call it the bhindi taco, where Indian spices meets the Mexican flair," Patel said.
Everything he serves is prepped inside The Cooking Station Indy on Michigan Road.
"I absolutely love this place. It's nice and clean, and it's right in the center point where if I have to go to Indianapolis or Fishers or even Westfield. It's very centralized," Patel said.
The owner of The Cooking Station Indy, Wantonia Dyson, won a pitch contest in 2022 for the Neighborhood Incubator for Creative Hustlers and Entrepreneurs, or "NICHE." She opened The Cooking Station Indy with the money she won.
"Everything has been going very, very well," Dyson said.
Dyson says the shared kitchen space eliminates many barriers cooks, chefs and mobile food vendors face by providing access to a commercial kitchen when they need one.
"This is good for a starter person. I basically prep everything here A to Z, and then in the truck, we just load, heat up, and then finalize all the product before we serve it to the customers. I really appreciate the owner, Wantonia, she helps out a lot. She'll answer any question," Patel said.
When asked what it means to see the space helping other business owners two years later, Dyson reflected on the impact.
"It's just been such a blessing because the biggest thing is, I'm able to do something more for the community. When I can make a difference in somebody else's life, that really touches my heart," Dyson said.
Saturday marks the first time The Cooking Station Indy is hosting a food truck competition, powered by Verizon Business, in the parking lot outside of the kitchen on Michigan Road from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dyson says this is a way to promote the businesses that use her space.
