Meal-prep startup to convert Entenmann’s campus into major production hub

Redefine Meals, a Bay Shore–area meal-prep startup founded by Mark Ciaburri and Matthew Riss, revealed plans to transform roughly 107,000 square feet of the former Entenmann’s Bakery campus in North Bay Shore into a large-scale production hub. The company said the expanded facility would substantially boost output, potentially to hundreds of thousands of meals per day at full scale, while supporting a phased build-out and retail factory-outlet operations on the landmark site.

The project continues Redefine Meals’ model of centralized production to keep retail locations lean. The company already operates facilities in Ronkonkoma and Bohemia, and the North Bay Shore campus would serve as its primary high-volume hub. Company leaders described a staged approach to construction and staffing, moving from initial retrofit work to larger-scale mechanization and packaging capacity over time.

For Suffolk County residents the effects are concrete. A large production center on the Entenmann’s campus could create substantial local jobs in food production, packaging, logistics and facility maintenance, expanding employment opportunities beyond the company’s existing footprints in Ronkonkoma and Bohemia. The factory-outlet component also aims to draw shoppers to North Bay Shore, potentially increasing foot traffic for nearby storefronts and boosting local sales tax receipts.

There are wider market and infrastructure implications. Scaling to the hundreds-of-thousands-of-meals-per-day range requires steady supply chains for ingredients, expanded cold-storage and transport capacity, and greater utility loads. A phased build-out gives planners time to coordinate road access, loading docks and parking to limit congestion. For local officials, workforce development and permits will be focal points as the site moves from retrofit to full production.

The redevelopment ties into longer-term economic trends playing out in the region. Centralized food production has become a growth pathway for meal-prep companies seeking unit economics that support lower-cost retail footprints. Repurposing an industrial landmark also reflects a broader shift toward adaptive reuse of aging factory sites across Suffolk County, where converting existing structures can deliver faster community benefits than greenfield development.

Local policymakers will need to balance economic gains against community impacts. Coordinating with the county and town planning offices on traffic mitigation, environmental reviews and workforce training programs will help the transition deliver jobs while managing neighborhood effects. Residents should expect construction phases and staged hiring that will roll out over months and possibly years as the company scales.

The takeaway? This project could bring meaningful manufacturing jobs and new retail activity to North Bay Shore, but it will also require careful planning on infrastructure and workforce training. Keep an eye on job postings, attend local planning meetings, and watch for traffic and permitting updates as the build-out moves forward. Our two cents? If you want a job in food production or a say in how the site affects your block, now is a good time to get involved.