Starting a business often requires substantial upfront investment. For food entrepreneurs, this means paying for commercial kitchen space, equipment, and permits—costs that can reach tens of thousands of dollars before making a single sale. Many talented chefs put their business ideas on hold because of these financial barriers.

In March 2020, while restaurants were closing across Florida, Christian Soler did something unexpected—he opened his first kitchen incubator in Miami. “It was definitely scary starting and then having a pandemic hit almost immediately after,” Soler admits. Five years later, his business has expanded to Orlando, creating affordable cooking spaces for food entrepreneurs—or “foodpreneurs” as he calls them—who couldn’t otherwise afford to start.

Soler’s story shows how seeing a problem can spark a solution that helps others. “I had a chef friend that was struggling to open his own business,” he explains. This observation led him to create a business that now serves dozens of food entrepreneurs. Whether you dream of starting a food business or any other company, his practical approach to turning obstacles into opportunities offers valuable lessons about what it takes to build something lasting from scratch.

Also See: What is a Kitchen Incubator?

Finding the Recipe for Success

After seeing his chef friend struggle, Soler developed a vision for affordable shared kitchen spaces. The concept was simple but powerful: create kitchen facilities where multiple food businesses could work without the crushing overhead costs of traditional restaurants. With restaurant failure rates hovering around 30% according to the National Restaurant Association, Soler knew small food businesses needed help.

Before launching, Soler and his team did their homework. “We used three main methods for market research,” he says. They investigated competitors, researched similar markets like Washington D.C., and surveyed culinary professionals in Miami to understand their needs.

Opening a business as COVID-19 hit Florida wasn’t part of the plan. “It was definitely scary starting and then having a pandemic hit almost immediately after,” Soler admits. But rather than retreat, he pressed forward.

This bold move paid off unexpectedly. “We got very lucky, we started working with chefs who lost their jobs and helped new food businesses start during the crisis,” he explains. The incubator even supported foodpreneurs who prepared meals for first responders during the pandemic.

What might have seemed like poor timing became an opportunity to showcase the incubator’s value. As restaurants adapted to new challenges, MKI offered a lifeline for food entrepreneurs looking to pivot to delivery and takeout models.

Building a Community

Today, both Miami Kitchen Incubator and the newly opened Orlando Kitchen Incubator (OKI) offer more than just kitchen space. Members get storage, cooler access, and office space based on their membership level. They’re assigned 8-hour shifts to ensure everyone has the equipment and space they need without overlap.

“We become close with these small businesses, and their successes are our successes,” Soler says. “We have had members move on because they’ve outgrown our space and expanded to their own, and that’s the ultimate sign of a job well done for us.”

This community aspect sets Soler’s incubators apart. “Food is one of the things that brings groups together, it transcends language, it transcends differences,” he explains. In his kitchens, entrepreneurs from various backgrounds work side by side, sharing tips and encouragement.

This sense of community wasn’t instant. “Building the community. At first, all the companies look after themselves,” Soler shares when asked about unexpected hurdles in the first six months. “However, because of our community-building model, people start to loosen up and after a couple months the kitchen becomes a real good hub for networking and sharing.”

The ghost kitchen trend has also boosted demand for Soler’s spaces. With 7,594 ghost kitchen businesses now operating in the U.S. and growing at 2.3% annually according to IBISWorld, MKI and OKI provide perfect launching pads for delivery-only food businesses.

For those wondering what equipment food businesses need most, Soler has clear insights from his years of operation: “For most general cooks and chefs, the ovens and burners are the most commonly used. Dough sheeters and the industrial stand mixers are very popular with most bakers.”

The incubators have nurtured many success stories. Soler proudly shares one standout example: “One of our first members is still part of the Incubator even though he now needs to work with co-packers to fulfill his orders. His empanada business grew very rapidly and is now all over South Florida.”

This success has even inspired Soler’s next business expansion. “Because of him, we are now building independent exclusive kitchens where members who outgrow our shared space can continue owning their manufacturing process. This space will be opened in Miami and will be called MKI Food Labs.”

Family Business and Life Lessons

Unlike many startups, Soler funded his first location through friends and family. Even more notably, his core team consists of longtime connections from his native Venezuela.

“I have known my partners since I was five years old and it’s amazing to have this family business together,” he shares. “We consider it a family business even though we are not all blood related because of our shared history and it’s a blessing to have that.”

His biggest mentor? “My father, in the overall spectrum of things, he always kept me calm. As an entrepreneur himself, he has gone through it all, a person like that is always good to have on the team.”

Both Miami and Orlando have large Latino communities, which have been instrumental in supporting the business. But Soler emphasizes that his kitchens welcome everyone, especially in Orlando where there’s “a huge mix of cultural groups.”

Soler’s advice for aspiring business owners comes from hard-won experience. When asked what he would tell his younger self, he focuses on personal wellbeing: “I guess I would suggest to myself to find better stress management tactics. Being an entrepreneur is stressful, but you need to enjoy the process as much as the outcome.”

The business has changed significantly since its founding. “When it comes to pricing our products and memberships and the type of contract we had in the beginning, those have evolved a lot,” Soler notes. They refined their membership approach to attract serious entrepreneurs “who cooked awesome food but who also had a goal in mind and processes in place to achieve them.”

Digital marketing has been essential to their growth. “Google Adwords, Meta and PR have been the keys to our success,” according to Soler, especially for building the community aspect of the business.

The path to profitability was quick. When asked how long it took to become profitable, Soler responds, “About 5 months.”

Managing a shared space requires clear rules and good communication. “We ask people to come to our managers or staff when they have an issue with the usage of the space or with other members,” Soler explains. “In general, we have strong policies in place and a warnings and penalties system people abide by. It’s one of the reasons we have members assigned to specific spaces and specific shift times; to make sure everyone has their own comfortable space to work productively and safely in.”

For those inspired to start their own kitchen incubator, Soler offers practical advice: “Often people with food businesses want to rent their extra space to other companies in an incubator model, but you have to be prepared to be there and take care of any incidents or problems or even administrative tasks that come up on a daily basis. We have kitchen managers that are in charge of each location to oversee and address needs as they arise, and that’s part of what makes us so successful in creating these communities and well-functioning kitchens.”

Practical Wisdom

Looking back on his experience, Soler offers clear advice that applies to any new business owner. “Find better stress management tactics. Being an entrepreneur is stressful, but you need to enjoy the process as much as the outcome,” he advises. This focus on personal well-being stands out as especially valuable coming from someone who launched during a global crisis.

His advice for those thinking about starting a kitchen incubator gets to the heart of what makes any service business work: “You have to be prepared to be there and take care of any incidents or problems or even administrative tasks that come up on a daily basis.” Having managers on-site to handle issues immediately has been central to his success in Miami and Orlando.

Five years after his pandemic launch, Soler’s vision continues to grow. The Orlando location offers more than 12,000 square feet of kitchen space, member lounges, and office areas. It even includes a USDA-certified space dedicated to cooked meat for wholesale. His story shows that good timing matters less than spotting a need and building solutions that truly help others succeed.

To learn more about Miami Kitchen Incubator or Orlando Kitchen Incubator, visit www.miamikitchenincubator.com and www.orlandokitchenincubator.com