A Visit to Codey’s!

Sinnidra Taylor, Owner of Crazy Waffle Bar and Codey’s Commissary and Co-Op

Sinnidra Taylor, Owner of Crazy Waffle Bar, had a business opportunity and chose to develop a space to “Create, Consume & Connect” Food Entrepreneurs!

Sinnidra Taylor, Owner of Crazy Waffle Bar and Codey’s Commissary and Co-Op

At Codey’s, Food Entrepreneurs will be given an opportunity to grow their business in many ways.  Entrepreneurs can expect to be guided through the process of maintaining documentation to legally operate a food business in New Orleans (registering with the secretary of state, securing an LLC, Safe Serve Certified, Insurance, Licenses, etc).  For those already up to date with documentation, the kitchen will be available to rent to sell food for catering, food trucks, festivals, and wholesale.  Codey’s will also establish facilities on its property to allow Entrepreneurs to make and sell food daily to walk-up customers and neighbors in the community.

With her vision to keep costs low to food entrepreneurs, Sinnidra launched a $250,000 donation campaign to fund the cost to renovate the building so that the kitchen and facility is completely paid for prior to tenants entering.

Codey’s will soon become the first ever Commissary and Co-Op, state of the art commercial kitchen in the Hoffman Triangle.  Your donation to this project will allow Sinnidra to house some of the best culinary entrepreneurs in New Orleans.  With New Orleans being one of the largest food hubs in the world, Codey’s is here to bridge the gap, providing Entrepreneurs access to opportunity.  If you’re interested in working inside Codey’s to grow your food business, you can complete a sign up form here.

In the meantime, Sinnidra hosts weekly popups at Codey’s, inviting small businesses to sell their product to the public also providing them a physical location for their social media followers and customers to pull up.

I had the pleasure of visiting one of Codey’s weekly Saturday Brunch pop-ups with my daughter and nephew.  We ordered Bubble Waffles and Cheese Grits and sat outside to eat while enjoying nice weather.  I tried a Lavender Mojito Mocktail (by Ch’nel) which was crazy good.  There was music playing, a nice crowd, and great vibes.  The experience at a Codey’s pop-up left me thinking, this is only the beginning, Codey’s will be a landmark for great people surrounded by delicious food and conversation.

Bubble Waffles by Crazy Waffle Bar at Codey’s Commissary and Co-Op

Libations By L. Ch’nel, LLC

Lavender Mojito by Libations by L. Ch’nel

Being a board member of Codey’s is one of the best parts about watching this project grow.  I’m allowed an opportunity to voice my views and give insight from my experience at Roux Carre, a food incubator I was a part of in 2018.  Roux Carre is no longer in business, closing its doors in late 2018 and selling the building.  There were many ups and downs to learn from my experience at The Roux that I’m able to share in Board Meetings to assist Sinnidra and her team.

Roux Carre food incubator 2018

Sinnidra and I recently took a trip to visit MS KICK, a commissary kitchen in Shreveport that rents kitchen space to food entrepreneurs.  We met with Monique Armand, Culinary Training Director, who gave us a tour of the facility and answered many questions.  Monique also runs a food business, teaches Safe Serve classes, and is heavily involved in operations to keep MS KICK in full guidelines with policies, procedures and best practices.

Kim Dejan, Monique Armond, and Sinnidra Taylor

MS KICK Cafe

Milam Street Kitchen Incubator and Commercial Kitchen

Sinnidra Taylor and Monique Armand

Sinnidra Taylor and Monique Armand

While touring, we met Big Nate, of Big Nate’s BBQ and More LLC, who rents the kitchen to sell food plates and catering.

Kim Dejan, Big Nate, and Sinnidra Taylor

He was preparing food for sale, including his specialty, The Big Nasty, a hamburger patty topped with pulled pork and smoked sausage, drizzled with Big Nate’s special sauce and homemade coleslaw on a toasted bun.  Sinnidra ordered two, one to eat there and one to take home.  It was something serious.  Too bad I’m pescatarian and couldn’t indulge but it looked just as delicious as I described.  Check him out if you’re in the Shreveport area!

On the trip back to New Orleans, Sinnidra and I discussed our takeaways from MS KICK, anxious to get back to the drawing board of Codey’s.  She and I are excited for what’s to come.

YOU CAN DONATE TO CODEY’S BY CLICKING HERE.

YOU CAN SUPPORT CODEY’S FOOD ENTREPRENEURS BY FOLLOWING CODEY’S ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO ATTEND THE NEXT SATURDAY POP UP SERIES!