Downtown Kitchen expands event space in Wenatchee, plans summer pop-up dinner series

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Guests socialize and eat in the Downtown Kitchen outdoor garden event space during a ribbon-cutting Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Wenatchee.

A ribbon-cutting event at Downtown Kitchen earlier this month is already leading to new collaborations between Wenatchee food entrepreneurs, as tenants connect through the shared kitchen's expanding event space and programming.

Downtown Kitchen, a co-op kitchen space founded by Barb Andre-Van Lith and located at 249 N. Mission St. in Wenatchee, hosted the event April 9 to introduce new indoor and outdoor rental space and highlight opportunities for chefs using the facility.

Sugar and Slices owner Francis Montes, a tenant who specializes in cheesecakes, began showcasing some of her cakes at the ribbon cutting and met fellow tenant Michelle Ballou of Smois, who specializes in chocolate almond butter crunch candy.

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Downtown Kitchen founder Barb Andre-Van Lith stands among guests during a ribbon-cutting Thursday, April 9, 2026, at the outdoor garden event space at 249 N. Mission St. in Wenatchee.

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Downtown Kitchen features a fully stocked kitchen available for events, catering and other uses.

"It was beyond my expectations. It was exciting and new for us. I ended up meeting a few other business owners who also are tenants for Downtown Kitchen, I normally don't see them since we are on different schedules," Montes said.

The meeting led to a collaboration between the two businesses, including a recent pop-up event featuring cheesecake creations paired with Ballou's candy.

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A variety of Sugar and Slices cheesecakes are displayed for sale at the Downtown Kitchen ribbon-cutting Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Wenatchee.

"We also had a private event pop up to showcase her candies with my collab cheesecake creations, and the support from the community was incredible. I'm in talks with her to create more flavors using her habanero flavor and non spicy flavor so everyone can get a taste," Montes said.

"We actually did a pop up and we'll do some more collaborations where she made a version of her cheesecake after one of my spicy versions of chocolate almond butter crunch," Ballou said.

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Smois owner Michelle Ballou sits at her table selling and offering samples of her chocolate almond butter crunch candies during the Downtown Kitchen ribbon-cutting Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Wenatchee.

"I sampled her work at the grand opening, and immediately knew I wanted that on one of my cheesecakes so I created a Mexican hot chocolate infused cheesecake and added her chili flavor chocolate almond butter crunch as the crown," Montes said.

The pair are continuing discussions about additional flavor collaborations.

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Samples of Smois chocolate almond butter crunch candies are displayed at the Downtown Kitchen ribbon-cutting Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Wenatchee.

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Hats and shirts for sale are displayed inside Downtown Kitchen during a ribbon-cutting Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Wenatchee.

Downtown Kitchen's expanded event space, introduced during the ribbon cutting, includes a small interior gathering area that can accommodate up to 30 guests and access to the outdoor garden, which can host up to 100 people for private events.

The facility now has the capacity to host private dinners, small weddings, workshops and community events.

The shared commercial kitchen portion of the business has been open since August 2025 to chefs with a business license, food handler permits for all staff members present, liability insurance and a security deposit. The 570-square-foot kitchen currently has seven food businesses scheduling time to use the space.

Downtown Kitchen is also planning a pop-up dinner series from June through September, where invited chefs will curate formal, ticketed dining experiences using the new event space.

Guest chefs and Downtown Kitchen will collaborate on menu design, preparation, staffing and ticket sales depending on the event format. In some cases, chefs will independently manage menu planning and service while using the venue, while other dinners will be produced jointly with Downtown Kitchen staff.

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Downtown Kitchen founder Barb Andre-Van Lith stands in the kitchen July 30, 2025. The co-op space opened in late August at 249 N. Mission St. in Wenatchee.

Specific participating chefs have not yet been announced.

"I am currently excited about hosting chefs around the valley for pop-up dinners in the garden," Andre-Van Lith said. "We have had chefs reach out about Indonesian food, Peruvian food and Middle Eastern food. I love the idea of a variety of different cultural foods being offered."

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