Regina woman puts Best Food Forward to create 'family' of chefs

A Regina woman who wanted to make family cooking more accessible has created a community of chefs and restaurateurs by building a shared commercial kitchen.

Ginger Braaten started Best Food Forward because she wanted to offer a meal planning and cooking service similar to what she provides for her own family.

"I was spending eight to 10 hours a week meal planning, grocery shopping and meal prepping and I knew I couldn't be the only one doing that," she said.

Building a community

Braaten started a business cooking for people in their own homes but later decided to expand the service to prepare meals for delivery. 

But her plan hit a wall when she was unable to find a commercial kitchen space to rent in Regina.

Braaten decided to build one of her own that could also be rented to other city chefs facing the same predicament.

The space is now used by a baker, an artisanal butcher, a paleo pastry cook and pop-up restaurateurs selling Mexican and organic meals.

Family affair

Braaten said the idea was for smaller-scale businesses, which were not big enough to run their own shopfronts, to help each other out.

"I think we all bring something entirely different to the table so we very much are a family and we learn from each other," said Braaten.

"I've done caterings where every chef that works in that shop has helped me and I've learned from them, and vice versa."

Braaten said she learned part of her food philosophy from her mother, who said it was important to always have dinner together as a family.