Tag: FIN entrepreneurs

An Eventful April for Our Food Business Incubator!

We’re thrilled to announce that three new food businesses have joined our Incubator:

• Boujee Food & Things serves up comfort food, re-imagined. Check out their catering menu, visit their website, and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
• Monique’s Hot Kitchen offers authentic Kenyan cuisine made with natural ingredients. Give their catering menu a look, and follow them on Facebook.
• East and West Catering brings fresh flavors from East and West Africa. Their catering menu is coming soon; in the meantime, visit their website to learn about their offerings.

[caption id="attachment_2900" align="alignright" width="252"] Naija Buka's Chef Lilian will launch new sauces at the Cheese and Meat Festival in Seattle on April 20.[/caption]

Tasty events in April

Meet the owners of the new businesses -- and other talented FIN entrepreneurs – at exciting events coming up this month:

• Wednesday, April 10: East and West Catering will begin holding dinner-to-go pop-ups from 5-10 p.m. at Ubuntu Street Café (202 W. Gowe St. in Kent). They have more pop-ups scheduled at the same time and location on April 13, 15, 17, 22, 24, and 29. Their April 13 grand opening pop-up will feature complimentary food and in-store dining.
• Friday, April 12: Boujee Food & Things will begin holding dinner-to-go pop-ups from 5:30-9 p.m. at Ubuntu Street Café (202 W. Gowe St. in Kent). They have more pop-ups scheduled at the same time and location on April 16, 18, 19, 25, 26, and 30. Find them on Uber Eats if you’re looking for delivery!
• Saturday, April 13: FIN's Taste Around the Globe booth will make its debut at Pike Place Market featuring Boujee Food & Things! Come get a delicious lunch or snacks between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Find them in the new MarketFront plaza near indi chocolate and Honest Biscuits. Our booth at Pike Place Market will feature rotating FIN food businesses on April 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, and 28.
• Saturday, April 20: Naija Buka will launch their new Mama’s Stew Sauce and Mama’s Jollof Sauce products from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Cheese and Meat Festival. Learn more and get tickets on the event website.
• Saturday, April 27: Mamá Tila will be featured at Project Feast’s Migrating Meals. Learn more and get tickets on the event page.

Video: Mamá Tila Catering Spices Up Events With Authentic Mexican Food

Over the last few weeks, we've shared videos profiling each of our Food Business Incubator program participants. It's time for our fifth and final video, which features Mamá Tila Catering: Ofelia named Mamá Tila after her mother, who was known as the best cook in her town. Ofelia takes her time preparing authentic dishes from across Mexico, including many of her mother’s recipes. Check out Mamá Tila’s menu! And if you haven't yet seen all of our business profile videos, catch up now:

• Soozveen Mediterranean Catering
• Naija Buka
• Taste of Congo
• Sherehe Kenya Kitchen

Video: Sherehe Kenya Kitchen’s Tasty Meals Are Made From Scratch

We're continuing to roll out videos about participants in our Food Business Incubator, and this week we're featuring Sherehe Kenya Kitchen. Sherehe Kenya Kitchen founder Lucy loves sharing healthy meals using recipes she learned from her mother. Don’t miss her chicken curry, samosas, and ginger chai. Check out Sherehe Kenya Kitchen’s menu, and stay tuned for more videos in our business profile series!

Video: Taste of Congo Serves Up Unique Flavors

It's time for another video in our profile series of FIN food businesses! This week we're featuring Taste of Congo: The only Congolese food business in our region, Taste of Congo offers a one-of-a-kind experience! Founder Caroline encourages you to try her beignets, which can be enjoyed any time of day. Check out Taste of Congo's menu, and stay tuned for more videos in our business profile series.

Video: Naija Buka Is Always a Crowd-Pleaser

It's time for the second video in our FIN food business profile series! This week we are featuring Naija Buka: Chef Lilian makes delicious, authentic Nigerian cuisine. Try Naija Buka's popular jollof rice, as well as fried plantains, peppersoup, puff-puffs, and more. Check out their pop-up event at Project Feast's Ubuntu Street Café on March 9! Can't wait that long to get your fix? Visit Naija Buka's new website to see their menu and make your order. Then stay tuned for the next video in our business profile series.

Video: Soozveen Mediterranean Catering Owners Cook With Love

We're excited to share the first of five videos profiling FIN Food Business Incubator participants! This week the spotlight is on Soozveen Mediterranean Catering. Sisters Sheelan and Zozan founded Soozveen because they wanted to share family recipes and stories. Try their dolmas, hummus, falafel, and other dishes made from scratch and flavored with the spices of Northern Iraq. And don't forget dessert -- their baklava and jasmine cookies are out of this world! Check out Soozveen’s menu, learn more about our Food Business Incubator, and stay tuned for videos featuring Sherehe Kenya Kitchen, Naija Buka, Mamá Tila Catering, and Taste of Congo coming out over the next four weeks!

Our Food Business Incubator Is Making a Big Impact — and It’s Growing!

Our Incubator pilot program hit some big milestones in 2018! Participants share how it’s helped them in our new video; here's a breakdown by the numbers:

• five new businesses launched since late 2017
• over 55 catering orders coordinated through FIN
• 21 farmers market days through our Taste Around the Globe booth at the Federal Way and Renton farmers markets

We're ready to build on this success and expand this valuable program! Tukwila Village Food Hall, now under construction and set to open next winter, will give the Incubator room to grow. Our new commercial kitchen will accommodate at least 20 food businesses, including eight that will rent retail stalls in the food hall. Learn more about this exciting project, and stay tuned for updates -- soon we'll recruit food businesses to join us at the new space!

Get involved

• Make a tax-deductible gift. Your contribution to our Tukwila Village Food Hall capital campaign will help expand the Food Business Incubator and support entrepreneurs’ access to affordable kitchen space.
• Volunteer to help aspiring entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses. Next month, three more food businesses will join our Incubator. We're looking for volunteers with graphic design and marketing skills to help entrepreneurs develop brand assets and establish a presence on online marketing platforms. You can read the volunteer position description here, and please help us spread the word!
• Hire FIN entrepreneurs. Check out their menus and make your catering order now! Then stay tuned to this site, where we'll release a new video profile of each food business over the next five weeks.

Big thanks to our funding partners

We're grateful to the Port of Seattle, Communities of Opportunity, and Seattle Foundation for their generous support of the Food Business Incubator and Tukwila Village Food Hall.

New Volunteer Opportunities: Graphic Design and Marketing Consultants

Use your graphic design or marketing skills to help an emerging entrepreneur launch a new food business! Branding and marketing support is a vital component of FIN’s Food Business Incubator program, which assists entrepreneurs through training, mentoring, and affordable commercial kitchen space. Most program participants are refugees and immigrants with low household incomes. Learn how the Incubator helps participants improve their economic security and build community connections. Responsibilities:

• Meet with an entrepreneur to develop their branding and/or marketing plan.
• Branding volunteer will collaborate with the entrepreneur to design a menu, and potentially a logo and business card.
• Marketing volunteer will establish and develop the business’ presence on web/social platforms. Depending on the marketing plan, this may include Facebook, Instagram, and/or other apps and websites.
• Volunteer will ensure the entrepreneur is able to maintain their web/social presence and update their marketing materials independently.

Qualifications:

• Experience in graphic design and/or business marketing is required. Formal training in these skills is preferred.
• Commitment to racial and social justice is required. Experience collaborating with people from diverse backgrounds is preferred.

Time commitment: Initial commitment is approximately 20-40 hours total on a flexible schedule in spring of 2019. If you’d like, you may choose to continue volunteering with the entrepreneur beyond the launch of their business. You will also have the opportunity to volunteer with a new program participant who will join the program later in 2019. Work location: Volunteer and program participant will meet at least twice in person at a South King County location of their choice. Additional meetings may be held in person or remotely. Support: FIN’s communications lead will facilitate an introduction meeting between volunteers and entrepreneurs, and will also be available to answer questions. About Food Innovation Network: We’re working to build a healthy, prosperous, and connected community in South King County. We do this through food. FIN is a program of the nonprofit organization Global to Local. For more information and to apply for this unpaid volunteer position: Contact Denise Miller, Global to Local's communications specialist, at denise@globaltolocal.org. To apply, please send an email indicating your interest in the position and your relevant qualifications. (Attaching a resume is optional.)

Meet Ofelia Anorve and Her New Business, Mamá Tila Catering & Events!

Incubator program participant Ofelia Anorve brings authentic dishes from across Mexico to the Seattle area. Check out Mamá Tila's catering menu, and read on for our Q & A with Ofelia. Tell us about your business. My business specializes in traditional Mexican food. How did get the idea for your business? A lot of people would tell me that my food was really good, and I should have my own business. Also, there was a lack of traditional Mexican food in the Seattle area. What makes you different from other catering companies? I take my time when I cook my food, and I do it with love. What do you like best about your work? What I think is best about my work is seeing people enjoy my food. What is something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business? I think people would be surprised to learn that my food is authentic, fresh, delicious and healthy. What’s your business’ biggest challenge? My biggest challenge is that if my business is growing fast, I can be under stress since I am running it alone. What would you say to other small food business owners thinking of working with FIN? I would say that FIN is really helpful and you learn a lot. Contact Ofelia: (206) 265-9746 or mamatilaevents@gmail.com

“A Wonderful Time” at Community Kitchen Night

Last week, dozens of community members joined us to share food and stories at Community Kitchen Night, a quarterly event we co-present with the City of SeaTac. This time, we took the celebration outdoors for a barbecue at North SeaTac Park. [caption id="attachment_2492" align="alignright" width="300"] Nga Reh made delicious chicken at Community Kitchen Night.[/caption] Here's what Community Food Advocate Nga Reh said about the evening:

"I had such a wonderful time. It was a great idea to make it an outdoor activity, and I liked the way we shared foods from each of our communities. This was my first time serving food. At first, I was afraid that the people wouldn't like the foods I served. I'm glad that they did! And it was great that anyone could join. If I have another chance, I will participate again!"

Thanks to everyone who came out for this great gathering! Check out more pictures on Facebook. Then mark your calendars for our next Community Kitchen Night, which will be at SeaTac Community Center on Sept. 26.