ST. LOUIS — Local meat manufacturer Deli Star Corp. plans to move its innovation center to City Foundry in spring 2021.
Officials with the Fayetteville, Illinois-based company said the Food Discovery Center will comprise 16,500 square feet and feature two fully equipped test kitchens and four research-chef stations, an instructional space for culinary and food-nutrition classes, conferences and demonstrations, an employee café and farmers market; and a 4,500 square-foot customized “ghost kitchen” production facility that will include a state-of-the-art industrial oven and smoker, blast freezer, dry storage and walk-in coolers/freezers. Thirty full-time employees will staff the center.
The City Foundry location offers Deli Star more space and the opportunity to add more production capabilities, officials said. It currently houses its St. Louis Innovation Center at the Raeder Place Building in Laclede's Landing, where it opened in 2016, in downtown St. Louis. First Morgan LLC owns Raeder Place.
Deli Star also will house its venture capital fund, Cure8 Ventures, at its City Foundry location. Cure8 targets food, health and wellness companies.
Lawrence Group's CEO, Steve Smith, is the developer behind the more than $200 million City Foundry project, a restaurant and entertainment complex at Forest Park and Spring avenues in Midtown. Deli Star will join such attractions as a food hall, Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, Fresh Thyme grocery stores, office and more.
The office tenants at City Foundry have begun to open, but the food and entertainment portions of the development have delayed their opening due to COVID-19. It's not clear when the entire development will open.
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