Upstate New York Grocery Store Chain Looking to Build Test Kitchen-Create Jobs

One of the largest grocery store chains in Upstate New York is looking to improve packaged foods and introduce new recipes.

Price Chopper/Market 32 is cooking up something big in Rotterdam. The Schenectady-based grocery chain plans to open a $12 million commissary kitchen inside the Rotterdam Corporate Park to improve the way certain packaged foods are made and delivered to stores in the Albany region.

According to the Albany Business Review, the new facility would lease 42,000 square feet in Building 14 for 20 years and create at least 100 jobs. It’s a major step up from the smaller commissary tucked inside one of their stores.

The goal is to improve the quality, consistency, and freshness of many prepared items you find in stores now with things like heat-and-eat pasta dishes, fresh green salads, ready-to-bake pizzas, and party-size trays of cupcakes. They’ll also prep sliced deli meats and cheeses, grab-and-go sandwiches, rotisserie chicken, sushi, and snack packs with fruit or hummus.

With the prep work moving off-site, store staff will have more time to help customers and focus on service.

A test kitchen is also part of the plan, where chefs can try out new recipes and flavors before they hit store shelves.

Spokeswoman Mona Golub said the idea is to make life easier for employees while improving the experience for shoppers. For now, the new kitchen will serve stores in the Capital Region, but there's potential to expand further.

Price Chopper/Market 32 operates 129 stores across six states and is part of Northeast Grocery Inc., which also owns Tops Friendly Markets.