Location: Old Town Goleta

Established: 2011

What prompted you to open Goodland Kitchen and Market?

Julia Crookston: My career as a restaurant and private chef was drawing to a close, and I was looking for the next thing to catch my eye. In 2008 I met Jordan and Todd Champange from Happy Girl Kitchen. They make amazing pickles. All it took was 15 minutes with them, and I decided that  putting things in jars was going to be the next thing for me. So I started to make jam. As my business and expertise grew I gradually advanced into renting kitchens and giving classes. Last year we found our place in Old Town Goleta. We realized what a good opportunity it was; reworked the jam business to include the shared kitchen and market café; and off we went!

What part did WEV play in your journey?

Well, my brother Michael would never have partnered with me without the structure and invaluable guidelines from WEV. Aside from that, WEV gave me the confidence to adjust my initial vision to better suit my market—without compromising my principles. The work we did in class to understand our customer profile; our money; and the time requirement  to run this business successfully is still valuable to us each day. All in all, WEV provided a body of knowledge that supports and encourages me even on the most difficult days.

Goodland Kitchen & Market encompasses three separate businesses, correct? Please describe them.

The Goodland Kitchen is a commercial kitchen, which provides space, equipment and support to small-batch food makers, food educators, product developers and manufacturers who value a professional environment. Michael and I are owner operators of the Kitchen. The Kitchen was Michael’s business idea that he explored through WEV's Business Plan Intensive (BPI) course. It was designed and built with professional food manufacturing in mind. As such, it's open and bright with an extremely flexible arrangement. We purchased and made available a number of small appliances that are invaluable to small businesses. Some of our tenants include Ixcacao Brownies, California Wood Fired Catering (mobile wood-fired pizza oven), Local Harvest (community supported agriculture aggregator) and Rancho San Julian (grass-fed beef producer and jerky).

Then there's Goodland Market. Goodland Market is the anchor tenant and the "face of the Kitchen" in the community. It's a "Grab-n-Go" breakfast and lunch operation. Melissa Gomez and I are owner/operator/partners and focus on excellent, genuine customer service and hand-crafted, locally sourced food. Our menu is determined by the seasons and what is best in our area. The Market is a local meeting place for the neighborhood. Everyday of the week you’ll find UPS drivers, bankers, mechanics and Raytheon folks sitting side-by-side on our picnic benches.

And lastly,  PreserveSanta Barbara/Bona Dea Food Preservation is my company - and the business idea that I pursued in WEV's Business Plan Intensive (BPI) class. Under our Bona Dea label, we make a limited range of high quality, award winning conserves, jams and pickles for specialty retailers. Our fruits, vegetables, honey and fresh herbs are always sourced locally and from farmers and producers who we work with throughout the year. Under our PreserveSB label, we make custom chilled pickles and specialty marmalades for restaurants and caterers. Some of our clients include The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, Little Flower Candy Company of Pasadena and Cecconi’s of SoHo House in West Hollywood. In addition to the manufacturing, PreseveSB also offers advanced consumer level classes in various food preservation techniques, including, fermentation, cheese making and fruit-based candying techniques.

How do all three businesses operate under one roof?

We deliberately kept the businesses separate financially. And because they're complimentary types of enterprises—with a shared focus on local foods and mutual customers—there's little conflict. Melissa is a rigorous scheduler and our crew keeps everything clean and organized.

What advice would you give to others?

Go to a WEV orientation. Then, sit down and write a scenario for your business idea. Describe what a day looks like, who you talk to, who your customer is. Play around with the idea. Read magazines. Pay attention to what people are talking about. Don’t get hung up on tiny details in the beginning. Almost all obstacles can be overcome or avoided.

Sign up for a WEV course, and then do your homework—especially the financials. Shall I say it again—do the financials!

Just start making your stuff or doing your thing! Just start.