USDA official joins Rep. Chellie Pingree at Fork Food Lab tour [Video]

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — Fork Food Lab upgraded their facilities about a year ago from a 5,200-square-foot space in Portland to a 30,000-square-foot space in South Portland.

Nearly 200 businesses have utilized nonprofit’s kitchen space and other commercial-grade equipment in the past six years.

Bill Seretta, the executive director of Fork Food Lab, said they have been utilizing several grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that have allowed them to better support local food entrepreneurs.

“We have three grants spread over six years, and they’re extremely valuable because they provide funding for things that we normally wouldn’t be able to do,” Seretta said. “Our members pay fees to be here, but that just covers basic operations. When we want to expand or move into the areas we talked about on the tour, we’re getting more equipment …