After searching for a commercial space to cook in all summer, Great Northwest Catering owner Clayton McDaniel has found a home for his growing business at Summit Cookhaus in Kalispell.  

"It's been nice to have Jake with the Summit Cookhaus open up, just for the fact that it's extremely expensive to go out there and purchase any sort of commercial space and build it out. Or even leasing a commercial space can be hard for people in the food industry here," he said.  

Summit Cookhaus owner Jake Kuntz said the rentable kitchen space in Kalispell offers an opportunity for batch bakers, caterers and others who want to work from a larger space than their home kitchens. Without a commercial kitchen, those who have a cottage licenses are only allowed to sell products in person.  

"They're not allowed to sell to restaurants, at grocery stores or coffee shacks. They're not allowed to sell online and ship. So, for those businesses that are selling their products at farmers markets, this provides a real avenue for them to jump into new markets and get more clients," Kuntz said.  

Kuntz opened the space late this summer. He and his wife Corinne own the building, along with The Bird's Nest Early Learning Village. The new children's museum Wildtorium also shares a roof with the two businesses.  

As they constructed the new 14,000-square-foot building for The Bird's Nest last year, it was a little confusing to know exactly what they needed in the kitchen as a childcare facility, Kuntz said. To make sure the building process continued on schedule, they made the decision to fully invest in what was needed for a commercial kitchen.  

Among the many requirements for a commissary kitchen outlined by Environmental Health at the Flathead City-County Health Department, Kuntz said they installed a three-bay sink, fire suppression system, grease trap, proper sanitation supplies and a type 1 exhaust hood that added $150,000 to the cost of the build.  

But there was so much more to learn about running a rentable commercial kitchen. The space had the capacity to serve more than just the children at The Bird's Nest, so Kuntz started looking into other options for its use and was put in touch with a local caterer.   

"Man, I tugged her ear. We talked in depth about things that make a good kitchen. She had operated a commissary kitchen and is a professional caterer. She gave me a ton of invaluable insight and what to expect and truly helped me outfit the kitchen in this initial iteration so we could make it useful," Kuntz said.  

He left his job working in Vocational Rehab and Blind Services for the Montana Department for Public Health and Human Services in May, pulling out $60,000 he garnered in a pension fund to invest in the kitchen. 

It was a leap of faith, but so far, Kuntz said the investment is paying off. They obtained their license in July and have eight tenants in the process of onboarding. Kuntz said they require anyone interested in renting out the space to have their own license, insurance and a food manager certification. In addition to his own kitchen being inspected by the health department, new tenants must undergo an inspection, too.  

The kitchen is divided into stations — like a large cold prep station, a baking station with a 15-liter stand mixer, a double convection oven, an eight-burner stove with two standard ovens and a three-bay sink dish pit with a commercial dishwasher.  

The kitchen also features ample cold storage and dry storage for rent by the shelf, Kuntz noted.  

Prices start at $23 an hour to rent a portion of the space or $50 an hour to rent the entire kitchen. But Kuntz is offering discount packages for new tenants at various levels based off how much they plan to use the space. Currently, he is offering a high-use package where people are only paying $12 an hour for the entire kitchen.  

"That's a high hours package. So, we're talking something for huge producers, big time caterers in their busy season. At some point it feels like they get away with robbery, but that's what I wanted. The more people utilize the kitchen, the more their cost goes down and the more their profit margin grows," Kuntz said.  

In addition to the kitchen, there is an event space in the building that Kuntz is also offering at a rate of $75 per hour — which he envisions being utilized by culinary entrepreneurs to host dinners, test out new products or to teach classes. 

There aren't any other commissary kitchens in the Flathead Valley, Kuntz said, and he tried to look at establishments throughout the Rocky Mountain Front and Pacific Northwest to determine his pricing. He also spoke with the valley's many caterers, batch bakers and others in the culinary field to make sure it was affordable.  

"I'd rather have more businesses being successful in my kitchen than hammering a few businesses on an overpriced product," he said.  

So far, Kuntz said he's getting a lot of interest from people making "very culturally infused food" across the valley, as well as food truck owners, caterers, bakers and people making sauces and spices.  

Kuntz said he gets to enjoy the smell of good food coming from the kitchen and manages to get a few free samples every now and again. But there are more important perks, like seeing those businesses thrive in the community.  

"If I'm out somewhere, like a store or a restaurant, and I see a client's products, I'm just ultra proud to know that it's made right here and that they're doing well and succeeding. So I definitely look forward to those success stories as we go forward," Kuntz said.  

For caterers like McDaniel, Summit Cookhaus bridges the gap for culinary entrepreneurs who want to establish themselves. Not only is it a nice space to work in, but it's great to work with a local who cares about their community.  

"This isn't an outside corporation coming in here and opening this grand facility and making it unrealistic for people to work in. You know, Jake has done a great job of building this out," McDaniel said.  

To learn more about Summit Cookhaus, visit summitcookhaus.wixsite.com/summit-cookhaus.  The rentable commercial kitchen is located at 120 Financial Drive in Kalispell.  

    Owner Jake Kuntz at Summit Cookhaus in Kalispell on Wednesday, Sept. 9. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Clayton McDaniel, owner of Great Northwest Catering, prepares a dish inside the Summit Cookhaus commercial kitchen in Kalispell on Wednesday, Sept. 9. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider