Page 21 - BusinessWest May 27, 2024

in July of last year.”
Skinner recalls collaborating with
the other founders on ideas, looking into grant funding to turn the building on Albany Street — a stretch of road known as Gasoline Alley, due to the giant fuel tanks that line it — into a collaborative workspace that eventu- ally became known as the Urban Food Brood.
“The three of us sort of came togeth- er, wanting to expand our businesses,” she said, adding that the project ran into a lot of infrastructure and renova- tion issues that weren’t expected, and cost more money than expected. “But now it’s flourishing,” she added.
Nosh is actually the latest — and largest — operation to move into the space, which, along with Mon- soon and Urban Artisan Farm, also includes Corsello Butcheria, Happy Man Freeze Dried, Wicked Whisk, and Rocka Docka Foods.
“I have a big window, and I did a brick facade outside the bakery so you can look through the window and see the bakers cooking.”
“Happy Man had a certified home kitchen, but he was expanding tre- mendously. He needed a kitchen,
so he ended up taking a room
here,” Skinner said. “Wicked Whisk acquired a food truck, but she also needed a commercial kitchen so she could produce her products, as she was growing as well.”
Vincent Corsello, who runs Cor- sello Bucheria, an Easthampton business that has expanded into the Urban Food Brood, said he took part in a pig roast on Albany Street a
few years ago and was struck by the uniqueness of the setup.
“This place is magic. There’s such a vibe here,” he remembered thinking. “So I started coming — I don’t know to what end, exactly, but they were open to a collaboration. They got a grant to do a community kitchen, and I said, ‘can I be a part of it?’ And they said ‘yes.’ And then we went from there.”
Creating a Vibe
The building, with its community spirit and that creative vibe — the walls are lined with works from local artists, which are displayed on a rotat- ing basis and available for sale — is
a stark contrast to its surroundings, Corsello said.
“It’s in the middle of a brownfield, essentially. They call it Gasoline Alley for a reason; we’re surrounded by a million gallons of gasoline.
“But it’s easy to get to, and there’s plenty of parking, so it’s a good loca-
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tion,” he was quick to add. “And the vibe really attracted me to this this campus; it’s like a modern-day boys’ club, only it includes all different types of people.”
Indeed, Monson noted that she’s seen people of different backgrounds, experiences, and even religious persua- sions enjoying the welcoming vibe of the space together.
“We have students, we have profes- sionals, we have the police, we have the firefighters, we have EMTs, social workers, teachers ... we have so many different people that come in here to enjoy the food or the coffee or the envi- ronment. Everybody’s here.
“The one thing I hear over and over
Vincent Corsello says the Urban Food Brood offers fresh options amid a food desert.
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