Ready to serve: Lea's Kitchen opens in downtown Sandusky

Editor's note: This article is sponsored by H2 Property Holdings.SANDUSKY — Locals received their first taste of how Lea's Kitchen can serve area chefs, cooks and other culinary artists.H2 Property Holdings on Monday hosted an open house for its newest business and downtown Sandusky's first commercial kitchen.Lea's Kitchen will offer workstations in which multiple people — caterers, food truck operators, chefs and the like — can simultaneously rent out space, where they can make delectable dishes, seasoned snacks and tasty treats for parties, gatherings or any other occasion.At the open house, several dozen community members toured the building, 186 E. Market St., beside Value City Furniture. They marveled at the areas where people can cook food, prepare dishes, clean up supplies and store products."Quite often, people can't afford to build a kitchen. It's very, very expensive," said Rick Hogrefe, who runs H2 with his wife, Meghan. "But here, you can come in for the day or night, it will be open 24/7, and make your food without worrying about everything else."Count Chasity O'Neill among those who require such a space."I never had a commercial kitchen like this," said O'Neill, whose deliver-based food business, Vaguely Vegan, will operate frequently out of Lea's Kitchen. "I can't wait to service the local area by providing healthy food and healthy options for people."Proprietors of Bake Erie, headquartered in The Marketplace at Cooke, also plan on becoming mainstays at Lea's Kitchen."I can get ahead on doing large orders and be able to take on more catering jobs," Bake Erie owner Liz Turner said.Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.Chasity O'Neill, who owns Vaguely Vegan, displays some of her food at Lea's Kitchen during the commercial kitchen's open house on Monday. O'Neill said she'll frequently rent out space in Lea's Kitchen so she can provide healthy-based meals, snacks and other treats to locals.Lea's Kitchen is located at 186 E. Market St., across from Value City Furniture, in downtown Sandusky.Lea's Kitchen offers several areas of storage space for chefs, cooks and others who need to store non-perishable products, such as dried goods, supplies or utensils, there. Community members could tour Lea's Kitchen, located in downtown Sandusky, on Monday during an open house. The commercial kitchen allows chefs, cooks and the like to rent out space and make food for various jobs.Liz Turner, who owns Bake Erie, displays some of her food at Lea's Kitchen during the commercial kitchen's open house on Monday. Turner said she'll frequently rent out space in Lea's Kitchen so she can make more baked goods for the six area establishments selling her products. Community members could tour Lea's Kitchen, located in downtown Sandusky, on Monday during an open house. The commercial kitchen allows chefs, cooks and the like to rent out space and make food for various jobs.Lea's Kitchen is located at 186 E. Market St., across the street from Value City Furniture, in downtown Sandusky.