48 companies recovering after storms impact Northern Kentucky kitchen collective

August 18, 2026 - 10:42

Nearly four dozen food companies are picking up the pieces after last week's powerful storms swept through Northern Kentucky. The Incubator Kitchen Collective in Newport, which houses dozens of small food startups and caterers, took a direct hit when the weather rolled through. Now, those businesses are working hard to get their operations back on track.

The collective serves as a shared commercial kitchen space, letting smaller companies produce their goods without needing to build their own facilities. When the storm knocked out power and caused damage to the building, it put a sudden stop to production for everyone inside. That meant lost prep time, spoiled ingredients, and delayed orders for restaurants, food trucks, and online sellers.

Since then, the space has been slowly coming back to life. Staff and business owners have been cleaning up, checking equipment, and restocking supplies. Some companies were able to resume within a few days, while others are still waiting on repairs. The shared nature of the kitchen has helped, with people pitching in to get the space usable again.

For many of these small businesses, even a short shutdown can hurt. They rely on steady production to keep their customers happy and their cash flow steady. But the mood around the collective is mostly positive. Owners say they are grateful for the support from the community and from each other. The goal now is to get everyone fully back up and running as soon as possible, with a few lessons learned about storm preparedness along the way.