The Local Kitchen was founded and is operated by three Saskatchewan natives: Bailey Gervais, Julie Gryba and Caitlin Olauson. Caitlin and Julie are sister's and had partnered in 2014 to develop their first business, a snack bar called The Local Bar, as a way to showcase Saskatchewan grown ingredients. Through this process it became clear that there were many gaps in the local support systems that made it challenging for small food businesses to thrive. The idea for The Local Kitchen began to percolate as a means to fill this gap while strengthening and providing inclusivity within the local food community. Caitlin and Julie approach Bailey to join them and start The Local Kitchen. Bailey and Caitlin had studied Food Science together at the University of Saskatchewan and Bailey had gone on to do her Chartered Professional Accountant designation; a very unusual but useful combination of skills. The three of them embarked on an ambitious year of planning prior to opening The Local Kitchen in 2017. Although there is plenty of room for growth within the business the three partners are proud that they have been able to provide much-needed commercial space for value-added Saskatchewan food businesses while highlighting the amazing local bounty and talent to the public through cooking classes and events.
