photo: Benjamin Moore

So many inventions are born of necessity. And the funny thing about necessity is that if you're not in need of something, you might just assume that it already exists. Food incubators are still a relatively new concept, but they are common enough that it could seem obvious that there would be one in any city where food culture is thriving (and that's a lot of cities!) Eric (pictured above right) and his friend Neil (pictured above left) turned a missing resource into newfound opportunity, and the Fork Food Lab is about to open it doors in Portland, Maine.

If you want to make a tangible contribution to their forthcoming tasting room, check out their Kickstarter campaign. 

When did you know that you wanted to work in food? 

I've always loved to cook?and to eat. But I never thought it would be a career. I started working first as a busboy, then dishwasher, server, and host positions for a high end restaurant while I was in college, but after I graduated I went into the finance industry. I had a great job, but within a couple of years I realized I hated spending my entire day in front of a computer. I took some time to figure out what I wanted to do, and I kept going back to the time I was a food runner. Even though it was the most tiring job I had ever worked, I loved going from the craziness of the kitchen to the perfectly manicured dining room where I could talk to people about food. Plus, when an amazing dish is put in front of you, you have to smile. Food is the only thing that everyone has in common.

How did you get your current good food job? 

I wore a suit and tie for about a decade, but last year I decided it was finally time to hang that dressy attire up. I had temporarily moved to Portland, Maine to start a food cart called The Marshmallow Cart (and yes, just like it sounds, we sold roasted marshmallows and s'mores). But as I was looking for a kitchen, I was shocked that a culinary city like Portland had no available shared commercial kitchen space. I called Neil Spillane who was running a Kombucha company with a couple of smaller kitchens. He explained that the kitchens were being removed, but he had just started putting together a business plan for a large kitchen incubator. I said I was interested?and one year later we are about to open Fork Food Lab.

How did your previous work or life experience prepare you for a good food job?

I worked as a food and beverage consultant for large corporations around the world, so just being able to see the operations of hundreds of kitchen has helped me shape ours. But the experience that prepared me most was doing pop-up cafes in New York. Any opening is difficult, and going through that process many times has allowed me to see where things can go wrong. Granted, new issues will always come up, but I've just become calmer when they happen.

What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome in pursuing your Good Food Job dream? 

When I first left my consulting firm, I thought I knew it all. But after that initial adrenaline of being on your own wears off, you realized you have no guarantee that you will be able to put food on the table (pun intended.) There were a number of times where I thought I should give up and take a safe job, but luckily I was able to talk to people who where in similar situations or had traveled this path before. I realized that this roller coaster is just something you have to get used to, and when catastrophe strikes, you have to remember that success is just around the corner.

Name one positive thing that a former employer taught you that you continue to appreciate?

"We're not saving lives, we're serving food and drink". I know this might not sound that motivational, but after a long day, this is a reminder that lets us all forget our problems and go home. If you make a mistake, it's important to get over it quickly because in a few hours, it's on to the next meal!

What can you identify as the greatest opportunities in food right now?

Without a doubt, local. People want to know who makes their food more than ever before, and they are willing to pay a premium for that. If they don't already have it, every major food chain will have a local program in the next few years. Not only does local food lead to more transparency, but it also lowers the carbon footprint of long distance distribution.

If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be?

Food?and maybe a place to live. If I had those two things, I could get around without much money.