NoHi Pop-Up closing for good Saturday, but program won’t end

Maricela uses an onion dicer as she preps her Chilean empanadas as Laura and Jesica prep for their dishes for Proyecto RAICES at NoHi Oct. 13, 2021 in Akron.

NoHi Pop-Up, a commercial kitchen in North Hill that’s been an incubator for minority and women culinary art entrepreneurs for the last three years, will close Saturday.

Rising rental costs is the reason, said Justin Chenault, executive director of the nonprofit North Hill Community Development Corporation, which runs the program at 778 N. Main St.

“We’ve been renting this building for the past three years and inflation just truly punched us in the face to where we weren’t able to pass on the consistent level of consistency with affordability for our food entrepreneurs,” Chenault said Thursday.

NoHi carryout thrived during the pandemic as other restaurants were closing. But inflation has now made it difficult to control the incubator program’s costs.

“If they’re already coming in and they’re buying $300, $400 or $500 worth of food supplies for a day or two days, and then my rental fee, you know, is what it is. I can’t make it as affordable as it needs to be for them,” Chenault said.

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Grant funding for the NoHi Pop-Up went toward having an executive chef work directly with the food entrepreneurs.

The program has generated $600,000 in sales for food entrepreneurs over three years, the executive director said. It also has spurred five food entrepreneurs to create their own brick-and-mortar businesses and eight to start their own food trucks.

“We’re not going to stop in terms of continuing to provide technical assistance for food entrepreneurs,” Chenault said. “But we were at a loss when it comes to being able to provide space for incubation.”

Customers’ last chances to order from NoHi’s location at 778 N. Main St. will be a Boba Tea Pop-Up from noon to 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Milk tea, Thai tea, Thai pink drink and mango will be available for $5.50.

See northhillcdc.org/nohi-pop-up for more information.

Another “anchoring business owner” yet to be announced will take over the NoHi space, Chenault said.

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Future plans for the NoHi program include collaborating with existing restaurants. That’s expected to include entrepreneur pop-ups with Akron-area restaurants as well as at Lock 3 in downtown Akron.

In the spring, NHCDC also will launch a food truck park in North Hill across the street from NoHi, near People’s Park in Temple Square.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Inflation causes NoHi Pop-Up to close in Akron’s North Hill