Coming to West Powelton: A Dorm for Foodies

Good Food Flats in West Powelton is aimed at students in Drexel's hospitality and sports management programs.

What the demonstration kitchen at Good Food Flats will look like. Image | Cross Properties

What the demonstration kitchen at Good Food Flats will look like. Image | Cross Properties

Dorms with kitchens? Big whoop. A dorm with a commercial-quality demonstration kitchen? Now that’s something.

The kitchen in question is part of the learning space in a new living/learning community being developed by Cross Properties at 4030 Baring St. in West Powelton. Dubbed Good Food Flats, the modular facility is being developed in conjunction with Drexel University’s Hospitality and Sports Management program to meet the needs of its students.

“Professor Jonathan Deutsch [founding director of the Center for Hospitality & Sport Management] brought up the idea of programming a housing option specifically geared towards his ‘foodies’ in a chance meeting,” Cross Properties co-founder Kevin Michals said. “Residents will be able to experiment, showcase their skills and interact in a tailored living environment.”

The study lounge at Good Food Flats. Image | Cross Properties

The study lounge at Good Food Flats. Image | Cross Properties

In addition to the demonstration kitchen, Good Food Flats features other spaces where would-be restaurateurs can sharpen their skills, including a pop-up restaurant incubator space and a food lab. Well-known local chefs will be invited to hold classes in the commercial kitchen, and students can learn sustainable farming practices by growing their own fruits and vegetables in the urban garden spaces on the building’s roof and in its backyard.

For those interested in the sports side of the program, or who just want to keep in shape, there’s also a fitness center with academic space.

Rents on the four-bedroom, two-bath apartments, which are designed to be shared, start at $750 per month. More information about Good Food Flats is available on its website.