Everyone knows the power of community, and there’s a good reason why the kitchen is at the heart of so many rituals and social gatherings across the world. Making and sharing food is a source of comfort, fellowship, and fun in almost every culture, which is why it’s important that your community centre kitchen can host groups and cater to the needs of the different people who use it. 

That’s where a Steelplan semi-commercial kitchen is perfect. Unlike a domestic-style kitchen, it is durable and hygienic by design, standing up to heavy use and staying easy to keep clean. It can also accommodate a far better range of equipment than a domestic kitchen can. At the same time, it is a more welcoming environment than a fully commercial stainless steel kitchen, which is a cold-looking and unwelcoming space. 

Here are five groups that a semi-commercial kitchen is perfect for, and how it supports them. 

1. CUBS, SCOUTS, AND BROWNIES

Scouts and similar groups that meet in community and church halls can benefit hugely from a well-equipped kitchen. It’s the perfect place to learn the skills to get cooking badges, because a semi-commercial kitchen is designed to accommodate groups, and to offer a user-friendly environment that suits all levels of culinary skill. Young people in a semi-commercial kitchen can learn cookery, safety, and hygiene, and practise all three. 

2. U3A (UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE) – SENIORS GROUPS

U3A groups provide somewhere for older community members to gather, socialise, and learn. A semi-commercial kitchen can: 

MAKE IT EASY FOR THOSE GROUPS PROVIDE BASIC CATERING

A well-equipped kitchen makes it significantly easier to provide food and drink to groups. As soon as the scale of catering is more than a handful of people, good, hygienic surface space is vital, as is equipment that can handle higher volumes of catering. 

PROVIDE A SAFE AND WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT WHERE SENIORS CAN COOK

The U3A may wish to run cookery classes. A semi-commercial kitchen is a welcoming space that can easily be equipped for cooking lessons, with a range of equipment to practise with, and a safe environment to work in. The hygiene of the semi-commercial kitchen also allows group leaders to effectively and quickly clean up after classes. 

3 .HEALTH AND WELLBEING GROUPS

Groups that promote and support wellbeing and healthy eating can be even more helpful to their members if they can demonstrate and teach the techniques and recipes that they discuss. Once again, a semi-commercial kitchen is the perfect venue for groups, but at the same time, it can have the familiar kitchen look and feature equipment that members will either have in their own kitchens, or be able to buy. That means they can easily apply at home what they have learned through their group, and feel empowered to make the healthy changes that they need and want. 

4. CHARITY GROUPS AND COFFEE MORNINGS

Fundraising coffee mornings or regular meetings become far easier with the proper equipment. A standard kettle isn’t designed to cope with teas and coffees for large groups, and it’s slow and cumbersome to make large quantities of drinks by boiling it again and again. 

In a semi-commercial kitchen, it’s much easier to incorporate equipment like a cafe-quality boiler with mains water replenishment, which dispenses hot water on demand and allows you to keep the teas and coffees flowing easily. 

5. YOUNG PEOPLE’S GROUPS AND GROUPS WITH DISABILITIES

Young people and people with disabilities aren’t always given the skills they need, or a place to learn them. Your kitchen can be that place. 

A semi-commercial kitchen from Steelplan offers a range of 18 colours. The choice of colour might not seem like a major consideration, but it can make the difference between a bright and welcoming space and one that people do not like to use. Young people and certain other groups especially respond to colour, so if you’re planning to use your kitchen for youth groups, consider what colours will appeal to your visitors and make the kitchen a place they enjoy. 

Whatever you plan to use your kitchen for, Steelplan’s design experts are on hand to advise on the design that best suits your community, your space, and your usage. Get in touch today at [email protected].