But a quick search on the Internet shows available commercial cooking space in Wisconsin is sparse; only Green Bay, Algoma and La Crosse have advertised kitchens.

David Vobora, Business Development Coordinator for Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program, works with clients who want to market food products.

"Food production facilities can be exceedingly expensive," Vobora said. "Even for business owners with strong assets and access to capital, if they had to go it alone, the start-up costs could be prohibitive. A shared use facility spreads those costs over a large number of people. That makes access to a food production facility much more affordable."

Most commercial kitchens in the upper Midwest seem to run between $12 and $18 an hour.

A community commercial kitchen allows specialty or gourmet food producers, caterers, bakers, cooking teachers, street vendors, private chefs, fundraisers, community groups, occasional users and private citizens an opportunity to prepare their food products in a fully licensed and certified kitchen.

Fabio Grado, owner of Vince's Restaurant and Pizzeria in Monroe, estimated his kitchen equipment at about $90,000. The vent hoods and ovens alone cost about $50,000, he said. The 1,500-square-foot kitchen can be used by up to 7 cooks at a time.

Renting out his kitchen for other people to use would be difficult because Grado's kitchen comes to life at 10 a.m. and doesn't shut down until after 11 p.m. or midnight, when everything needs to cleaned up for the night, he said.

Even if someone would be willing to rent space during the nighttime hours, Grado is rather protective of his business investment.

"Having another person in my kitchen would be like another man in my bedroom," he exclaimed.

The Green County UW-Extension is looking for interest in a community commercial kitchen, and began an online survey April 4 at, www.gckitchen.org.

Lisa Kivirist, Browntown, owner of Inn Serendipity and member of the survey committee, said a commercial-grade community kitchen has been discussed in various ways for years.

"People love the idea," she said. With an eye on potential funding sources, it's time to get down to the "nitty-gritty," finding out what support and resources people need to start their own business ventures, she said.

Grant applicants are asked for proof of need, interest and use, to qualify.

Community kitchens can help anyone with a dream of a startup business or of a supplemental income; produce "multiple layers of opportunities for other ventures;" and can help preserve Green County's great cultural heritage, Kivirist said.

"There is so much potential," she said.

The UW-Extension survey also includes questions on the need for business and education aspects of a shared kitchen.

"The other thing I like about these facilities is that they usually have the word 'incubator' associated with them," Vobora said. "Just as with general-purpose business incubators, the business owner can get help with things like office services and marketing. Having a good product, that's like ante into a poker game - it doesn't mean you'll win; it just gives you the chance to play your hand. An incubator helps the business owner learn and master all the other necessary business management skills."

Small business incubators offer technical assistance in food production as well as general business management skills, networking opportunities among entrepreneurs, and the opportunity to form shared service cooperatives for marketing, distribution and supply purchasing.

There has been a strong line of collaboration between MMS and UW-Extension, as well as with Green County Development Corporation, both Monroe and New Glarus Chambers, Green County Tourism and Blackhawk Technical College on common community concerns stemming from the "Downtown & Beyond" project. UW-Extension Agent Cara Carper brought the community kitchen idea to the table and received strong support.

"I know the availability of a community kitchen would provide new Market on the Square participants. It certainly would give a chance to "test the water" for entrepreneurs. If an Incubator was incorporated, it too would be a boon to fostering new business here," said Barb Nelson, executive director of Monroe Main Street.

The concept of big kitchens has been seen incorporated in the Monroe Main Street's "Downtown and Beyond" proposal for a "culinary center," as a long-range catalyst project for downtown, and in the Cheese Initiative's Museum and Cheese Center, with a culinary center or culinary college, a community kitchen and business incubator.

"I do not see any conflict of the creation of a (community) kitchen with the big idea of a culinary center - nor with the Cheese Center Initiative in work now," Nelson said. "Main Street's investigation of existing operations in other parts of the country proved encouraging, but also pointed to the need for precise planning, strong financial support and community enthusiasm. It's not yet time to move in that direction for us when we've got a downtown destruction/ reconstruction project at hand," she said.

"Main Street does support the Cheese Center Initiative concept, which seems a more attainable project at this time. It would also be a great companion attraction to the Culinary Center when that is pursued."

A community kitchen, and perhaps incubator, would prove complementary to Green County's economy and food heritage, Nelson said.

"As we have seen, factories can come and bring boom, but also leave and create doom. Home grown business is not likely to move to Mexico. The beginning of Swiss Colony was a private garage. Who knows what can come from providing an environment to grow an idea?"