Mamaroneck Center Caters to Artisanal Food Producers

Chocolate bonbons. Vegan mint chutney. Ghanaian hot sauce.

These are just some of the many artisanal delights being produced and packaged right here in Mamaroneck's Cook & Bake Center, a certified kitchen for rent on Mount Pleasant Avenue.

Owner Janine Goldentaier has taken her culinary education, professional training and her life's passion for food to create a place where like-minded foodies can realize their dreams.

"The Cook & Bake Center is a licensed and certified kitchen available for rent by professionals in need of a properly equipped industrial kitchen," she said. "This includes caterers, cooking instructors and small-business owners who manufacture and pack their creations sold mostly in farmers' markets, local gourmet stores, or online."

Renamed three years ago, The Cook & Bake Center currently has about 40 tenants who occupy the space on a rotating schedule. They pay $22 an hour for use of the equipment (Goldentaier provides training) and an additional $10 for sanitizing products and garbage removal.

"Every professional customer cooking at the Center is provided with all the help, advice and expertise I am able to give in order to make their experience as smooth and hassle-free as possible to ensure success in their endeavors," she said. "I teach people how to take their home baking and cooking to the next level. I am very proud – this is a labor of love." Goldentaier can also help small businesses get their 20-C license so they can sell their products wholesale.

Due to the challenging times brought on by the recession, some chefs who have had to close their restaurants but did not want to stop pursuing their passion for cooking have found a solution by carrying on as caterers, Goldentaier explained. Others who decided to change paths and pursue their own food business have also become customers of the Center.

Among the caterers who work out of The Cook & Bake Center are Bienvenue Catering, which does dinner parties, kids' birthdays, packaged meals, corporate events, cooking classes and personal chef services; and Savory Gourmet Catering, which specializes in cooking with sweet and savory flavors.

On a recent visit, Nirmala Gupta of Bombay Emerald Chutney Co., LLC, and her staff were prepping to make 85 cases of plum and cranberry chutney.

"These are my family recipes, passed down to my mom and then to me," she proudly stated. "Everything I make is vegetarian and – with the exception of the samosas I make – gluten-free."

Gupta began her business seven years ago, with the support of her husband, Karan. "This chutney is a very unique product – it is natural, fat-free and vegan," he stated. It is currently being sold online, at farmers' markets and in a few select stores.

As for working at the Cook & Bake Center, Karan Gupta added, "Janine is outstanding. She has a good heart. We are very lucky for each other."

The Cook & Bake Center is also home to cooking classes. Kids 'r' Cookin' teaches future foodies the basics of food and kitchen safety, utensil use and cooking techniques. Cooking birthday parties and summer programs are also available.

For the grownups, Jonathan Taube, a certified personal chef, hosts customized classes based on a preferred cuisine or cooking technique. Among these are Asian fusion, Mexican and Indian cooking classes, as well as knife skills and pressure cooker instruction.

Still other food items Goldentaier raved about are Odyssey Chocolates, which handcrafts fine chocolates in small batches; cupcakes and wedding cakes by A World of Cakes; delicious hot sauces from Adepa Foods; and the gluten-free granola by Deb's Farmhouse Kitchen, now available at Home Foods.

The Cook & Bake Center is located at 360-C Mount Pleasant Ave. (the entrance is on Stanley Avenue), and is available weekdays, evenings and on weekends; 914-698-FOOD.