BINGHAMTON (WBNG) — Speaker Carl Heastie (D) continued his annual statewide tour Wednesday and was joined by Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo (D, 123).

They announced that $750,000 in funding will be headed to the Cornell Cooperative Extension Commercial Kitchen to support local agriculture and culinary businesses in the Broome County area.

The CCE Broome Commercial Kitchen is a shared-used kitchen where farmers, at-home producers, chefs and caterers can rent the kitchen to create products, scale up production, prepare for events and more with support from staff members.

By renting the space, members are provided a direct link to agribusiness resources from CCE of Broome County, Cornell University and Cornell Food Venture Center, while also enjoying direct marketing access to TasteNY stores and the Broome County Regional Farmers Market.

“The diversity of products, produced and sold from this commercial kitchen, has influenced a change in the landscape of food in our area and a boost to the local economy,” said Director of Food System Projects at CCE Amy Willis.

The $750,000 announced Wednesday will be used to help expand the kitchen space and support the construction of a new walk-in cooler and dry storage. This funding is in addition to another $750,000 already provided by the Assembly Majority to support the construction of the Agricultural Development Center and TasteNY Store.

“We are building an infrastructure, an ecosystem of food entrepreneurship and respect for people who grow, produce and bring our food to market,” said Lupardo. “This place right here has been a labor of love for all of us.”

Copyright 2023 WBNG. All rights reserved.