An atelier in a factory

 

Leszek and Beata Wodnicki opened their Fabryka (Factory) Culinary Atelier in an office building al. Wojska Polskiego in May last year. The inspiration to convert a passion for cooking into business came from Wodnicki’s participation in the MasterChef TV show: “Thanks to my participation in the programme I managed to acquire business partners who helped me buy equipment for my atelier, so we’re also in the embedded marketing business”, he says.

 

The interior of his 140 square metre modern, well equipped Atelier is divided into two parts: one for cooking and one for tasting. Guests have twelve cooking stands and work surfaces fitted into a kitchen island and a few tables.

 

The Culinary Atelier offers workshops (for 20-30 people at PLN 170-200 per person) and shows weekends as well as one or two corporate events during the week. Leszek Wodnicki is pleased to see the growing customer numbers that include prominent local firms giving their employees the opportunity to meet and cook together.

 

The instructors conducting the activities are supposed to be the most powerful magnets attracting customers. Beside the founder, they include Mariusz Siwak from the Park Hotel and Karol Studziński from Villa Park Wisełka Spa & Wellness. The list of events in the pipeline are wine-tasting sessions, barman shows, and starting from February, the Atelier will host well-known figures from the culinary world.

 

“People from Warsaw who know the industry said we’d need about a year just for business development. We did it all in just five months, because they haven’t seen a place like ours here before”, says Leszek Wodnicki.

 

Sweet potatoes in Chopina street

 

The history of the Bataty (sweet potatoes) Culinary Studio which Magdalena and Błażej Światły opened in the shopping centre in Chopina street in October last year, started from cooking sessions at home with friends. They both came from the catering. He is a chef in the Harnaś restaurant, she was a check-in manager and a waitress in the past.

 

For the Bataty Culinary Studio they chose 150 square metres of space arranged in an industrial-Scandinavian fashion. At the he heart of the studio there is a kitchen island with induction cooktops, ovens and all necessary cooking equipment and utensils. Next to it there are two “tasting” tables and a big bar. Guests also have a smaller 50 square metre room at their disposal.

 

It is used for one-to-one workshops, corporate team-building events and parties where cooking is part of the fun. Workshop groups consist of 10-20 participants. The workshops are led by the business owners as well as their befriended restaurateurs and cooking fiends. The cost of corporate or closed workshops is PLN 100-200 per person. “A firm would have to pay a similar amount for an event in a restaurant”, Magdalena, Bataty’s co-owner points out. The cost of a training course or workshops for individuals is PLN 150 per person.

 

“The news about our studio spread really fast. Our workshop and event calendar is almost full until May”, says Magdalena.

 

Cooking classes and more

 

None of the two sets of cooking business owners are willing to reveal how much they had to invest in their start-ups. Leszek and Beata Wodnicki claim they used their own savings, financial support from business partners and EU subsidy under the “Success 50+” programme. The owners of Bataty used their own funds. With a little help from their friends, they refurbished the 200 square metre space. They applied for EU funding, but to no avail. “Those who were in charge of awarding subsidies did not understand our business”, says Magdalena Światły.

 

Even though the culinary events are very popular among their customers, they are not the only source of revenue for any of the two sets of owners. Leszek Wodnicki is still running his real property agency. Sometimes he likes to get away from his Atelier and take the role of a chef during external events. Beside organising and conducting cooking events in their studio, the owners of Bataty run a catering business. “During quiet periods in the workshop business, we concentrate on catering. That’s how we can make a decent living in this business; although it wasn’t all that rosy at the beginning”, admits Magdalena Światły.

 

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