Inside The Kitchen

All photos by Chad Ruhl
Interview and Intro by Jeremy Ball

When I first heard rumors of “The Kitchen” I was a bit intrigued. I know that many big name pros have their own private places to ride, but Brett Banasiewicz was in the process of undertaking a huge build of his own skate park that would be open to the public (plus have areas built specifically for skateboarders) which is a bit different than the private warehouses that exists in BMX today.
Needing to ride something before a trip to Austin for Texas Toast last year (and needing to borrow a flight bag), I first visited “The Kitchen” before it opened after a phone call to Brett’s dad Bill. I asked if I could come check it out and ride because my trails were under water and I wanted to ride something big, and rumor had it that this place was not only big, but huge. His response was simple, “yeah sure, if you can make it down the step down.” Now that response made me a bit more intrigued. After I got there, I understood what he was talking about.
About a week ago, I sat down with Brett’s dad, Bill, to ask him a few questions about the park (being that Brett was in Austria at the time). Check out what he had to say! After you do that, check out the PHOTOGALLERY by Chad.

Let’s start with a simple question, why name it “The Kitchen?”
The name “The Kitchen” came from Brett, Robbie Armour and Glenn Salyers (the park’s designer). They were sitting around, talking about coming up with new tricks. This eventually evolved into the name “The Kitchen.” As in: “Cooking something up in the kitchen.”

What was your goal in creating “The Kitchen?” Was it your goal to give something back to BMX?
Yes, for sure our goal was to give something back to bmx. We had two parks in our area that have closed in the past few years and the only public park was a skate board only park when we started to build.

How has the feedback been on the park? What kind of things have people been saying?
So far the feedback has been very positive from everyone who has come, be it a rider or skater. We have had a pro-am contest that went well and it seemed that everyone really enjoyed the park and the atmosphere of South Bend. Also, over New Years, we had a lock-in which was a huge success. Everybody really loved that. The positive things we have been hearing are great.

How did “The Kitchen” come together? Who was behind it and who runs it?
“The Kitchen” came together from a group effort. Brett, Justin Hardin, Robbie Armour, Glenn Salyers and myself all had a hand in the creation of the park. The four of them (Brett, Robbie, Glenn, and Justin) all had a hand in designing the park and Justin, Glenn and Robbie were the main builders of the park. Right now, I am currently the manager.

How has the community received the park?
The local community has been behind us from the beginning of building the park. The local press has given us lots of local press coverage, especially for the contest. Since opening the park, Brett has become increasingly well known in South Bend. Brett has been invited to be a local celebrity at the YMCA’s Greatest Chef contest this year, and I think that is really great. He has also been invited to be on local radio whenever he returns from contest or trips and I think a lot of that positive press comes from helping open something positive in South Bend.

Now that you have been open for nearly half a year, is there anything that you plan on changing with the operation or layout of the park?
Yes, there are some changes that we plan on making. There is a section in the skate area that the kids have asked us to change a bit. It is a fairly big six foot wedge and euro gap. To cater to the skaters a bit, we plan on making it a multi-level wedge with possibly a long rail in the center that some of the rollerbladers have asked for. Our goal is to make the park great for everyone and we are open to suggestions for change.

What are the park hours of operation?
The parks hours are:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Thursday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday: 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. with a late session from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m.
Saturday: 12 p.m. until 9 p.m. with a late session from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. until 9 p.m.

One of the things that I see at “The Kitchen” is that on Mondays, when you are closed, you often have a bunch of the locals in here sweeping and cleaning. What’s up with that?
On our closed day, Monday, we try to clean the park by sweeping and doing regular maintenance. We often ask different kids that come here on a regular basis if they would like to come, help clean and help take care of the park. In return, we give them free riding or skating sessions this helps both them and us. They save money, feel like part of the park, and it helps us keep the park as clean as possible

South Bend had a public park before your park opened which did not allow bikes. Once your park opened they opened up the South Bend Public Park to bikes. Was that frustrating to you at all?
The public park? Well South Bend has a park that was skateboard only. While we were already under construction, they then opened it up to bikes within about 3 weeks prior to us opening. We were kind of pissed about it just because we were trying to open a business in the community, but what could we do? It is not really a big deal because the parks are so very different. We don’t really compete against each other, but it was a bit frustrating.

Everyone in the Midwest knows that skate parks are great in the winter, but with the beautiful summers of the Midwest it becomes difficult to draw people indoors to ride. Do you have any plans for the summer such as camps or a contest?
In the Summer time we plan on a couple of things. First we are working on setting up a day camp for both boys and girls. It will be a camp for skateboards, scooters, rollerblades, and bikes. With it, they will get to come ride the park, be provided with food, and be supervised throughout the day. We are currently working on the starting dates and times. As soon as we have more information we will have it on our website as soon as possible.

We are also working on a program with the local Boys and Girls Club to bring them in on a Saturday or Sunday morning once a month. This will give them a chance to ride, skate, or scooter. This is something that they might not normally get a chance to do and we love to make opportunities happen for any kid.

Any thanks or last words?
Thanks go out to Justin Hardin, Rob Armour, Glenn Salyers and everyone who has helped us in the building of the park. A big thank you also goes out to Brett’s sponsors. Without Rockstar, DC Shoes, Pantech USA, DK Bikes, Dan’s Competition, Ethika, and all of the riders who help support the park, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

You can find out more about The Kitchen by visiting their website at TheKitchenSkatepark.com.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOGALLERY BY CHAD RUHL — RIGHT HERE