🎧 Season 4, Episode 29: Building Community Through Shared Kitchens

This week on With Bowl and Spoon, I talk with Irwin Mendelssohn, whose path—from Pennsylvania to Florida and later to major cities like Chicago, L.A., New York, and beyond—has been shaped by curiosity, creativity, and a love of food. Irwin and his brother have long focused on renovating historic buildings, but opening a shared-use kitchen was a brand-new adventure. When the pandemic hit, what was meant to be a slow, phased-in project suddenly became essential—and they rose to the challenge.

We dive into what makes a shared kitchen work, the practical realities of running one, what Fulton Commons offers its members, and the unexpected joy of reading manuals.