By Mike DeNardo

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A new place where food entrepreneurs can expand their businesses is now open in West Philadelphia.

The ribbon is officially cut on the Dorrance Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises at 48th and Spruce, a commercial kitchen where entrepreneurs can rent time to cook, package, and sell their creations.

Zana Billue, whose Zana Cakes (zanacakes.com) business makes mail-order pound cakes, expects to start using the center’s mixers and ovens in November.

“Now, I can expand.  I can probably go after some food contracts.  Before I couldn’t do that.  So this allows me to increase my company to capability or to capacity.”

(Zana Billue checks out one of the industrial food mixers at the Dorrance Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises, in West Philadelphia. Credit: Mike DeNardo)

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The facility, built with a federal grants, loans, and a foundation investment, fills a neighborhood need, says Della Clark, president of the nearby Enterprise Center.

“We had food entrepreneurs coming to us at the Enterprise Center, but we didn’t have a place to help them with their product.  We could only help them with their business.”

The food center will include a multimedia learning center and space for retail sales.