New business is helping Fresno food truck owners and foodies expand the local culinary scene

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A walk in refrigerator is something most could only dream of, now, food truck owners will be able to use an extra space at the new commissary kitchen.

"Any food prep that they do that's not on the truck has to be in a commercial kitchen, so that's an amenity we're offering that we have indoor space to prepare their food for the day," said Kiel Schmidt, Food Commons Fresno.

Schmidt is with Food Commons Fresno, which gathers and distributes local food. The Commons had this space for distribution and then decided to open the production kitchen up to businesses so they can have a bigger space to make their tasty dishes.

"They can buy full cases of food and save it in storage. They can prepare their sauces for the whole week rather than the whole day," said Schmidt. "In those food trucks it's so small, the space, you don't have a lot of refrigeration, a lot of room, this allows them to level out their business."

It will be available for mobile food vendors and independent chefs. They will charge various rates to use the kitchen, or businesses can pay a monthly fee for $600 to use all services.

Schmidt said there is also room for companies to store their trucks.

"Our alarm company is going to put in wireless motion detectors in each truck that connect to our alarm system."

Schmidt said he hopes this new commissary kitchen will provide an extra space for Fresno's food scene to thrive.

"We want to have a lot of local businesses that are working together to build a food system that is more robust."

The Fresno Food Common Commissary Kitchen is just putting on the finishing touches. In the future, they hope to host a food truck park for all to enjoy.