Welcome #MNMOtv followers! Today’s Twitterview is with Molly & Tracy, owners of the @KitchenInTheMkt. Lets roll!

Morning @JoelECarlson - thanks for having us!

Great! To start off, what kind of experience do you both have that made starting this business a no-brainer?

Tracy:    Molly owns a catering biz that’s been @midtowbglobal for 4.5 yrs in the prior version of KITM…so we knew the shared space worked

I (Tracy here) do biz dev/mktg consulting + worked with Molly and MGM on their strategic growth plans; lots of oppty here.

and we share a passion for food, entertaining…and wine.

(from here out, we’ll start with T or M so you know who’s talkin’)

That makes sense. For those unfamiliar with your kitchen concept, can you explain what you offer?

Molly:    We are a shared commercial kitchen space., cooking school and small kitchen wares shop. In a nutshell….awesomeness. ;-)

Our shared kitchen space houses 24 different businesses (caterers, food trucks + food mfgrs) that do not need space full time.

Could you handle more food trucks/caterers at this time? Paying for space & time I’d assume?

Molly:    We can most definitely welcome more caterers + food mfgrs! Food trucks are full at the moment, but we have a waiting list.

Tracy:    To clarify, our lease is based on days of use in the kitchen, not hourly. So, the rent reflects avg # of days needed per month

It’s good to be busy! :) What kinds of classes are offered, and have you done any cookbook launch events?

Tracy:    We ARE busy! We have scheduled cooking classes avail to anyone who wants to register (http://bit.ly/NzL2u6) as well as Private.

Private classes are great for corp team building, bachelorette/bridal parties, bday parties for kids + adults. They’re hoppin’!

We’re a little unique as about 95% of our classes/events are hands-on IN the commercial kitchen. A unique experience for guests.

People love to jump in here, grab an apron and commercial-sized pot and crank up the BTUs. Makes for a fun, interactive event.

And we’ve been lucky to host some of the best resto chefs in the cities – JD Fratzke was just here last night! #chefsnightoff

Indeed, cookbook authors @FoodforMyFamily + @michaelnatkin recently launched books here w us – love that!

The talented @FreshTartSteph of #TCTaste has also been involved with some classes too! Are beginners welcomed?

Molly:    We encourage all levels of skill..the only requirement is to have fun! (And not chop off your fingers)

Tracy:    @FreshTartSteph + @ScottPampuch are doing a great series called #provisions w us. Learning to “manage the bounty” in tasty ways.

What are some of the dishes that people have been taught how to make? Do you sell food from your space?

Molly:    Well, we’ve made everything from curry to artic char noodles with Chef Michael DeCamp @youngchef2 !

Molly:    Our most popular class is Cooking the Market. We tour @MidtownGlobal and make up dinner on the spot w/ ingredients available.

Molly:    It’s always an adventure with the Cooking the Market class!

Molly:    We have a small selection of rotating food items; we just got in some fermented pickles from one of our tenants!

Good to know! What are some of the upcoming classes focusing on? Is expansion possible? St. Paul?

Tracy:    Classes coming: #cookthemarket, #chefsnightoff (super fab fall sched!), #wineoclock run each month + lots of others. check site!

Tracy:    Expansion. great question…possible, hopefully, maybe? we’ve definitely got some big ideas cooking….

@KitchenInTheMkt Is located in the @MidtownGlobal market. What are your general hours of operation?

Tracy:    Our hours vary a bit due to classes/events but generally 10am-6pm M-Th + Sa. 10-8 Fri. 11-6 Su. Sometimes later.

Joel:    Thank you both (Molly & Tracy) for your time today and for offering a great service to the community!

Molly & Tracy:    Thank YOU both @MNMOmag @joelecarlson – always a pleasure to tweet with you!

In the former Sears building off of Lake Street and Chicago Avenue in South Minneapolis, there is a great market called the Midtown Global Market. They feature numerous food offerings from a wide variety of areas around the world, and also feature fresh locally grown foods. In addition to that, there is a working kitchen that is used by cooks/caterers called Kitchen in the Market which recently expanded its space inside the Global Market.

To showcase the space and the variety of offerings that they have available, the 2 owners, Molly Hermann and Tracy Morgan had a VIP celebration on Thursday February 24, 2011.

There were city officials, local media and some friends that were invited to attend this splendid occasion.

The new space is a kitchen that would put a smile on the face of any foodie or chef.  It has lots of cooking prep areas, display areas for retail options and a large area to conduct cooking classes which is a wonderful feature.

The public should really take advantage of this and can do so by checking out the schedule on the Kitchen in the Market website.

There were some wonderful displays outside the kitchen area of some of the variety of food offerings that are available by those associated with the Kitchen.

You could tell at the event that both Molly and Tracy are very happy with the results as to how the Kitchen turned out and were wonderful hosts of the event.

The staff that they had assisting with the event were very kind and helpful to everyone in attendance.  This kitchen concept is a truly great idea. May both of them and the Kitchen in the Market have continued years of success!