Former Software Developer Acquires Anne Arundel County Restaurant Building to Provide Venue for Food Entrepreneurs
Gretchen Moran pivots from career to establish health department-certified kitchen for use by food trucks, caterers, specialty food brands and other start-up ventures
Following a 25-year career building software companies in the Maryland area, Gretchen Moran decided it was time to “give back to the local community” and focus on providing a venue where local entrepreneurs could launch and grow small food businesses, with the space, equipment, and support they need to serve the greater Anne Arundel County region. Her company, CSQ Holdings, LLC, recently acquired 625 Greenway Road in Glen Burnie for $2.125 million to house The Culinary Square, a shared commercial kitchen providing a health department-certified kitchen for use by food trucks, caterers, specialty food brands, and other start-up ventures. Tim Harrington, Oliver Fryer, and Bryan Herr of MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services represented the buyer in this sales transaction. The 13,000 square foot building was formerly owned and utilized by Mike’s Crab House.
Expected to open next spring, The Culinary Square will be configured to support up to 50 operators and establish a place where local operators can produce their food items in a certified environment, as well as collaborate with like-minded entrepreneurs while sharing the joy of cooking, the value of local ingredients, and the power of shared meals.
“My background was focused on building things and solving problems,” Moran explained. “After a successful business career, I saw that so much of what we eat is over-processed and shipped in from far away, and that takes a toll on people’s physical and mental well-being,” she said. “Local food makers are the answer to that, but too many of them don’t have a place to produce, grow, and reach customers. At the same time, consumers here don’t have enough places offering better, locally made options. The Culinary Square was created to change that and make a long-term difference.”
The former restaurant building has approximately 6,000 square feet of restaurant and storage space that can be used to prepare meals and food items, with the balance of the area targeted for cooking classes, networking, and special events. Operators, who become members, are projected to stay in the venue for approximately 18-36 months before growing into their next phase, often their own brick-and-mortar location.
“I wanted to build something that makes a real, positive difference in our community,” she added. “Food entrepreneurs are a special group of people. They’re deeply invested in their work, emotionally and financially. Many work themselves to the bone without seeing significant financial reward, but they keep going because they love what they do. The Culinary Square is designed to make their path easier: the right place to operate, the right equipment, and a community of people who understand what they’re building.”
“The building’s former use, featuring a sizable commercial-grade kitchen, presented a unique adaptive reuse for Culinary Square’s purposes,” explained MacKenzie’s Tim Harrington. “Playing a small role for the new ownership group to build a sustainable culinary and entrepreneurial environment is meaningful. To see how this property will evolve from its prior use to Gretchen’s vision, and the impact it will have on the community, will be exciting to watch.”
MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services is the real estate brokerage arm of The MacKenzie Companies, which operates five full-service divisions addressing all real estate asset classes including MacKenzie Management Company, MacKenzie Contracting Company, MacKenzie Capital, MacKenzie Investment Group and MacKenzie Multifamily Management. The company provides customized real estate solutions for institutional owners, investors, private companies, and individuals. For additional information, visit www.mackenziecommercial.com
