A world of flavor arrives in this kitchen co-op
Food halls, communal “shared” kitchens, and co-op food programs are a common and expected fruition in larger cities around the country and the world. While it’s commonplace in New York or Singapore to visit a storefront with multiple businesses running cohesively together, the idea is newer to the Chattanooga landscape.
Initially, the idea for Common General began with Matt Park and his St. Elmo-based barista bar, Plus Coffee. With plans to expand and build out the kitchen in the old Jonesy Wood building, he contacted Chef Christine Nguyen about the idea of bringing her patisserie skills to the table through her delicious treat-based concept of Mama Crunk’s Pies.
“At the beginning of this venture, I only planned to continue Mama Crunk’s Pies in the space. However, after we had all worked together to literally build a kitchen from scratch, I started to see the benefits of using the kitchen and communal retail space in other ways,” said Mama Crunk herself.
Eventually, Christine decided that she wanted to bring more than just pies to St. Elmo. Christine started to reconnect with her Vietnamese heritage through the expanse of her already well-honed culinary skills. She began partnering with Chattanooga Tasting Club to cook Vietnamese inspired pop-up wine dinners.
“One huge culinary inspiration over the past year has been exploring my own cultural identity through food, since I was never really taught the recipes as a child and subsequently felt a bit of a disconnect from my background,” says Nguyen.
This desire to reconnect acted as a catalyst which has now made Common General a reality that is greater than the sum of its parts. Along with Vietnamese offerings, the space will meld with the influences of partner Danielle Cafferty, who specializes in her own family’s Korean culinary history.
Belle Chocolates by Brendan Patrick will also grace the space with Chattanooga’s first Bean to Bar chocolates with fair-trade cacao sourced from the Norandino Coop in northern Peru.
The menu items are shaping up to be mouthwatering desires: “We will have street-food inspired items like grilled green curry chicken wings, sous-vide pork belly bao buns and Panang sliders,” comments the chef as she teases the menu. Brunch will also be a treat with options like Grain Bowls, Gritt Bowls, Breakfast Burritos, and Avocado Toast.
On Saturday, St. Elmo will officially welcome Common General to the neighborhood with a grand opening block party. At 11 a.m., a local market will occupy the parking lot with vendors such as Alecia Vera, Blumenwagon, Native Made, Burlaep, I Go Tokyo Boutique, Odyssey Goods, and Sacred Harvest. Family-friendly workshops will be hosted inside the space as brunch is served.
The little ones will learn how to make pie pops and other art-centric designs. Live music from Grace Riva, Legal Adult, and more, and Asian street food bar apps will draw people looking for a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Main Line Ink tattoo artists will be available with flash sheets for adults looking for something a bit more permanent. Cocktails will be served throughout the day as an introduction to the new beverage and spirits program.
Common General will bring an exciting array of culinary options to Chattanooga’s ever-expanding food and beverage world and will fill a gap of a couple of the cuisines currently under-represented in the area.
The newfound accessibility of Vietnamese and Korean cuisines in Chattanooga will help our community develop an understanding of specific subtleties and nuances in flavor and technique that are otherwise, for most people, a world away. With Common General, St. Elmo is doing more than adding a store or a market—it’s bringing a slice of the wider world closer to home.