Author: Jennifer Parshall

Everything happens for a reason, right?
I was home all week with shingles, and with that, I avoided a potential exposure to Covid. Today I was informed that someone who was working in one of the kitchens last week has tested positive for Covid. While none of our customers were in contact with this person, other people who use the kitchens for their business were. So I am closing the storefront this week and having everyone who was here working last week go in for a Covid test. They will all be allowed back in to use the kitchen once they provide me with a negative test result. If anyone tests positive they will, of course, be denied entry until they have a negative result. My priority, for the last 100 years it seems, has been to keep everyone here safe and working, so we need to stop this in its tracks. Hopefully everyone else will have a negative result, but at this point I’m really not willing to bet money on that. We will more than likely be requiring customers to start wearing their masks inside again when we do reopen. Thanks for understanding, and stay safe!!

I haven’t been in the kitchen this week at all. I spent 8 hours yesterday in the ER waiting room hoping to get some help with some excruciating pain in my shoulder and arm, turns out I have a pinched nerve in my neck (I’m blaming it on pot pie filling, the pans we make it in are about 60 pounds when full). Regardless, I see so many posts on Facebook lately where people are complaining that they can’t find good help for their businesses…I can say I have not had that problem. If you’ve been in this week you’ve definitely seen Sherri who has been working for me since late 2020. Sherri has been running the show this week keeping our items stocked in the refrigerator and basically keeping the kitchen open while I am at home on painkillers. I’m hoping to be back ASAP, but if you go in and see Sherri make sure you let her know what a great job she is doing! Thank you Sherri!

So it’s been THREE YEARS this week since we opened the kitchen. Honestly in the very beginning, we didn’t know if it was going to last one year (and we’ve heard a few of you tell us the same) but here we are, now with two kitchens, more food businesses and customers from all over the place… Channahon, Minooka, Shorewood, Morris, Joliet, Plainfield, New Lenox…Manhattan!

I wanted to take a minute to say thank you to all of you who have come in regularly, who have come from far away, or who have followed along online for a long time and then finally decided to stop in. You guys are the ones that keep us going, and especially throughout the past year and a half. What a learning experience this has been! I’m glad you’re finding value in this place, and we all appreciate you!

Also just wanted to let everyone know we’re signing another lease here for two more years, so we’re not planning on going away any time soon. My plan is to grow, but I am still working on Craig with that idea 

I am working on getting a farmers market started in the parking lot of the Hive Kitchen on Saturday mornings. Anyone who becomes a user of the kitchen will be able to sell their products weekly in the market, at no additional charge. Stay tuned for more details on this. Hopefully this will be up and running not long after the kitchen opens.