Council fired up over Pasco plans to expand commercial kitchen. Not in a good way

The Pasco Specialty Kitchen could be cooking up something big, but some on the city council are worried about spending on a program with a spotty history.

The council recently voted to buy two buildings downtown for $650,000. Now there’s some pushback on an idea to spend another $3 million to expand the business incubator.

“I absolutely despise the Pasco Specialty Kitchen and any money spent on it,” Councilman Peter Harpster said during a council discussion last week. “I’ve asked how many entrepreneurs we’ve helped, and we don’t even know.”

But a few days later, Harpster admitted to the Herald his words were too strong. He believes that the money would be better spent on making some roads safer, such as the intersections of Road 68 and Burden Boulevard and at Road 88 and Argent Road.

While the city may not have an official count of business owners who have flourished at the Specialty Kitchen in its 21-year history, several local eateries have sung the praises of the kitchen that help them get started in the food industry.

Bill Smoot established Pepper Preppers with his wife Cheri in 2017. He called the three years they spent at the Specialty Kitchen a wonderful experience that let him establish a viable business.

In May 2023, Pepper Preppers opened a permanent location in Benton City that serves the company’s three business lines.

Other success stories include Hot Tamales , Fast & Curryous food truck , Aub’s Bananza Bread , Imbibe , Brother’s Cheese Steaks and Ciao Trattoria restaurant.

Downtown buildings

On Sept. 3, the city council agreed to buy two buildings at 122 and 124 S. Fourth Avenue next to the Specialty Kitchen. They’re across the street from Peanuts Park.

The buildings are currently vacant, but were once manufacturing facilities owned by United Western Technologies Corp.

City staff recommended the council seize the opportunity to buy the neighboring buildings when they became available with the thought that the kitchen could be expanded.

The city took over the reins of the Specialty Kitchen from the Downtown Pasco Development Authority in June 2023 after the group’s repeated controversies and financial troubles in recent years.

Before the vote, Mayor Pete Serrano and Councilman Leo Perales expressed concerns about expansion at a time when the city is still working to get the kitchen back on its feet and it still has vacant vendor spots.

“I don’t know if we even have people operating the window at the kitchen,” Perales said at the time. “I’d hate to buy a property and then we don’t use it. Or people don’t want to use it.”

Still, the council approved the deal 6-1 , with only Councilman Charles Grimm opposing the purchase.

Later, he explained to the Herald in a statement, “While I appreciate the vision of continuing to create a public space along that street, it is budget season at the city of Pasco.”

“I know we have some public safety concerns and looming infrastructure needs that I believe are more of a priority,” Grimm said.

Then last week, city officials began discussing priorities for the city’s capital improvement plan and more questions were raised about the specialty kitchen project.

The city’s proposal indicates that $700,000 from the city’s economic development fund would go toward expanding the kitchen. That includes the $650,000 cost of the new buildings.

The city hopes to receive an additional $3 million in grant money for the project that could possibly include creating an indoor food hall where customers could sit and eat after buying food from various vendors.

No decision was made and the council plans to continue discussing its capital improvement plan.