Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

The founder, Bailey Foster, said the mission has remained the same from day one. Real Good Kitchen exists to lower the barriers that often keep small food businesses from ever getting off the ground. Those barriers include identifying the right market, clarifying a product line, and gaining access to space and equipment.

“We are the only kitchen in Knoxville that is purpose-built for shared use and with a mission to help food businesses start and grow,” she said.

Alongside the commercial production space, the Real Good Kitchen Foundation offers programming that teaches aspiring food entrepreneurs how to operate a business, manage finances, understand compliance, and prepare for scale.

Foster described it as creating the runway that founders need to hit their next opportunity at the right moment.

“The thing that I love the most about my job every day is helping people figure out how to make their business better,” she said.

Although Foster does not come from a culinary background, she is deeply motivated by how food connects people and generates economic opportunity.

“I believe in the power of food to bring people together, create economic opportunities, tell stories, and help us find common ground,” she said. “We need all the opportunities we can find to do that.”

A new shared kitchen could soon take shape in Western Heights

One of Real Good Kitchen’s most ambitious projects is unfolding in Knoxville’s Western Heights neighborhood. It could drastically expand the organization’s footprint, impact, and mission.

Foster said the idea began when Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC) approached her about three years ago. At the time, KCDC was applying for a federal Housing and Urban Development grant to rebuild Western Heights, which is the city’s oldest affordable housing community.

As part of the community engagement process, residents were asked what services and amenities they wanted in their neighborhood. A shared kitchen rose to the top of the list.

“People have food dreams,” Foster said. “They have recipes they want to share. Many already run informal food businesses that create meaningful economic opportunities for their families.”

The HUD grant was approved and has since been leveraged into more than $200 million in investment. The larger vision includes a new arts and entrepreneurship district, new housing, and wraparound services. A shared kitchen will be one of the anchor resources.

The Real Good Kitchen team helped shape the design. The new site will be significantly larger than its current 2,500‑square‑foot building. The proposed new kitchen could be as big as 8,500 square feet, which would include a dedicated production space, an event venue, a cafe area, and grab‑and‑go offerings.

“This kitchen will be the kitchen I would have built if I had the money and the experience at the time,” Foster said. “It is everything I have wanted to do all rolled up into one.”

If all goes according to plan, the Western Heights kitchen could open as soon as fall 2027.

Foster said the current Real Good Kitchen facility will remain in use, though its purpose may evolve as the organization grows. She mentioned that one possibility of converting the Magnolia Avenue facility into a hub for food manufacturers, who represent a growing segment of the businesses they support.

For now, Foster said the momentum of the past six years is energizing and meaningful to her. Each new food entrepreneur who has walked through the door represents another step toward building a more connected and economically vibrant Knoxville.

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