This transaction took place between Ouabache Holdings, LLC (buyer) and PMG Acquisitions (seller). As a result of this transaction, Kitchen 17, a vegan pizzeria and restaurant, and sister company Smiley Face Media, a digital media and marketing company, will move operations into the old Herald-Press building. Sisters Jennie and Lorry Plasterer, Hoosier natives, own Kitchen 17 and Smiley Face Media, respectively.[1] Kitchen 17 originated as a Chicago-area vegan restaurant but transitioned during the pandemic to become an ecommerce frozen pizza business. Bursting at the seams in Chicago, Jennie decided it was time to upgrade, in both space and vision, and the Herald-Press building was the perfect fit. Brook Steed, Bradley Company broker, reflected that, “It was a very unique property and was going to take a very special buyer,” and Jennie and Lorry Plasterer are just that.
The sisters have plans for every inch of the building, from growing mushrooms in the basement to “The Newsroom” restaurant. The building will host a kitchen for ecommerce service, headquarters for Kitchen 17, Smiley Face Media (which provides marketing, content, and packaging design for Kitchen 17), and Ration and Seed, their wild mushrooms and food business that provides ingredients to the business and incentivizes local growers.
The sisters, originating from the Huntington area, know that it was once a bustling, thriving city, and want to help it reach that status again. Huntington’s first plant-based restaurant[2] will feature a coworking space with internet access and unlimited coffee, called “The Newsroom”. Further community initiatives include a school lunch program, meals for hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted care facilities. Their plan to create sixty-four jobs by 2024 has granted them generous tax credits, conditional on Hoosier employment.
Kitchen 17 isn’t just a great community partner; they make amazing food, from scratch! Ranked the #2 vegan restaurant in the United States and the #2 best vegan pizza spot in the US, they produce a quality product produced in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way.
Check out this great video detailing their plans for the space, or visit their website and try their amazing product which, even from non-vegan Brook Steed, is “really, really good!”
[1] Kitchen 17 Press Release.pdf (hcued.com)
[2] Chicago Company Relocating HQ to Huntington – Inside INdiana Business
