Welcome to chefs' paradise 

A humming refrigerator greets visitors who enter what could only be described as an extravagant food preparation zone. The word “kitchen” doesn’t quite cut it. The room is filled with items plucked from the dreamscapes of passionate chefs. Silver stoves and counters line the walls, and a 30-quart mixer waits patiently in the corner. A shelf that reaches to the ceiling is filled with every imaginable kitchen utensil that could ever be needed for a recipe, and this is no exaggeration. The options are endless, the space is clean, and the room is available to anyone with big plans for a fun, food-filled event.

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• PHOTO BY STEVE E. MILLER
• WHAT’S COOKING? : Laura Kramer built her dream kitchen to can her own green tomato relish, but now the Paso Robles cooking space is available for anyone to rent by calling Kramer at 238-0083.

Rockin’K Ranch Commercial Kitchen Rental was designed for the professionals, the caterers, the experimenters, the bakers, the specialty food makers, and even the moms or dads who simply want a place of peace, away from the children, to cook a good meal. Whatever the purpose, the kitchen is for anyone and everyone, and can be rented for $25 an hour (with a four-hour minimum).

During that time, the kitchen belongs to the renter. There are never double bookings, which means chefs are free to create their dream dishes in peaceful privacy.

Created and owned by Laura Kramer, the kitchen has one catch for renters, but it’s a pretty easy rule and usually a common courtesy in every household: “I’m not your mother, you have to clean up yourself,” Kramer stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

She observed that the females who have used her services clean up better than the men do.

Kramer originally created the kitchen for her own personal use; she makes and cans her own green tomato relish. As time progressed, and all the necessary permits that were required were obtained, Kramer realized she could make money by sharing her cooking space, and the idea to start a commercial rental kitchen sprouted. It opened around May of this year and has mainly been used by caterers and chefs, but candy makers and toffee creators alike have also rented the space to produce their products, Kramer said.

The kitchen doesn’t refuse service to anyone, and it’s open 24 hours to accommodate those with busy schedules or high demand production needs. Those who choose to opt for the odd-hour schedule time are given a passcode that allows them to enter through the front door. Kramer took this approach of giving users access in a way similar to having constant access to your own personal kitchen at home because she’s “not going to open the door up for you at 4 in the morning.”

There is 24-hour surveillance of the kitchen to keep “honest people honest,” according to Kramer.

Another room stems from the kitchen. The walls are splashed with a forest green hue, and it’s empty save for a row of white, numbered doors. Behind these doors are shelves that can be used by the renters to store whatever they feel is necessary to keep in their working area, providing a type of pantry-feel that most kitchens have. Kramer hopes to use this currently empty room to hold cooking classes someday and possibly have chefs come in to prepare food and accompany their meals with wine pairings from various wineries.

Rockin’K Ranch Commercial Kitchen Rental is at 825 Riverside Ave.,  suite 16, in Paso Robles. Kramer can be contacted at 238-0083 for those who are interested in doing big things for this Thanksgiving holiday.

Fast facts

Just Baked SLO is a catering company for desserts and delectable treats. On Nov. 17, a pop-up shop will be set up at Bliss Body Spa at 970 Chorro St. in San Luis Obispo. Their homemade Meyer lemon curd created with locally grown organic lemons will be a seasonal addition to their standard menu, and will be available at the event. …

For people interested in learning more about energy balance, Global Alliance for Balance and Healing is providing 25-minute informative sessions on Nov. 17 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will be held in the auditorium at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, 1010 Murray Ave., in San Luis Obispo. ∆

Intern Tayler Duprel compiled this week’s Strokes & Plugs. Send your business and nonprofit news to [email protected].