DAYTON, Ohio — If you’re an entrepreneur, chances are you know the challenges of starting your own business and finding the right space could be one of the biggest issues.

What You Need To Know

  • Dabriah Rice, Jamaica White and Charlynda Scales are the founders of 6888 Kitchen

  • 6888 Kitchen will be a two-story, 10,000-square-foot commercial kitchen inside the Dayton Arcade

  • A retail space, a classroom kitchen and rental pods are just some of the featured spaces

  • So far they've raised $1.7 million towards their $4 million goal with plans to open in the next 18 months

That's why one group of women is opening a commercial kitchen to help entrepreneurs create their own recipe for success.

Dabriah Rice said she's dreamt of opening her own catering and food business for as long as she can remember. She wanted to follow in the footsteps of her uncle, father and other family members in the industry.

“When I got a little older, I just decided why not get into the industry as well and follow my family, and I decided to start a catering business,” said Rice, owner of Divine Catering and Events. 

Since opening in 2005, Rice said Divine Catering and Events has grown tremendously. She credits her business partner Jamaica White with help along the way. 

“She helped us move out of our home-based business and move into a kitchen on Linden avenue here in Dayton, Ohio, and at that kitchen, we had pretty good growth there,” she said. “But we actually outgrew that space.”

So they reached out to their business advisors to discuss getting a bigger kitchen, and that’s when they connected with Mutt Sauce Owner Charlynda Scales, who at the time was interested in opening a commercial kitchen. 

“We met each other at a meeting and we kind of clicked from there and the partnership just kind of grew from there and that's kind of how 6888 Kitchen came about,” she said.” 

The 6888 Kitchen will be a two-story, 10,000-square-foot commercial kitchen inside the Dayton Arcade. A retail space, a classroom kitchen and rental pods are just some of the featured spaces. It is expected to be the biggest commercial kitchen in the region and will be open to college students and entrepreneurs alike.

As the 6888 Kitchen Director Scales envisions close to 50 businesses utilizing this space. Through this project, she hopes to put an end to food insecurity in Dayton. 

“We want to make sure we're providing those options for you to have fast, food to table healthy options for food,” said Scales. “And the fact that we're going to be downtown means that we're going to be helping grow the local area.”

The space is expected to open within 18 months. But first, they have to raise enough money. So far they’ve raised $1.7 million with Fifth Third Foundation as the title sponsor. But they need to raise $2.3 million more to meet their goal. 

“I believe that the industry here, the food market, and the industry here is just going to explode because of the 6888 Kitchen once we get up and running,” said Rice. 

For more information on the 6888 Kitchen and how you can help click here.