Tag: nutrition

Our Annual Resource Fair is Almost Here!

Join us for FIN's 3rd Annual Resource Fair

And connect with everything food!

   

Maraki – Start-Up Q&A

Maraki

Maraki, established in 2016, is an Ethiopian coffee and catering business. Business partners Fanaye Gebeyaw and Lidia Tadlla provide Ethiopian coffee and healthy snacks through the traditional ceremony that is perfect for social occasions.   Service Area: Seattle and King County Availability: Call us anytime Contact: (206) 832-5979     Q: Tell us about your business We come to you and make Ethiopian traditional coffee. You will be able to see how a very tasty and original Abyssinica coffee is made, from roasting the fresh beans to brewing. You'll taste our coffee with a healthy snack in the comfort of your own home or at an event. Maraki began catering with the support of Food Innovation Network. In Ethiopia, the traditional way to drink coffee is around coffee stands that hold cups where friends and family members gather, chat, share ideas and have coffee. Maraki pairs traditional coffee with high-quality healthy snacks in the homely and relaxed atmosphere of a client's own space. We meld pure socialization with our traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. With high standards and reliable delivery schedules, we have been able to build and maintain a solid customer base within a short period of time in King County. As founders, we are both experienced in Ethiopian and western foods, give high priority to quality and healthy food.   Q: What inspired you to start this business? We were inspired to take the influential culture from Ethiopia and do the same in our local atmosphere. The major inspiring factor for Maraki to start the business was the lack of culture we, as Ethiopians, noticed in the US. With this business, there will be more cultural festivities and an atmosphere just like Ethiopia. Q: What makes you different from other types of coffee businesses? Maraki provides unique service to its customers, we serve Ethiopian coffee with its traditional ceremony. The client watches as we roast the coffee bean which is directly imported from its origin, Ethiopia. Coffee catering is suitable to any social gathering- family, work or public. Our coffee ceremony highly facilitates social interaction. It creates a friendly and relaxed environment while enjoying our tasty coffee and healthy snack.   Q: What do you like best about your work? We enjoy working with clients and like to see customers satisfied with our service. It's always a pleasure to socialize with people during the coffee ceremony and seeing them smile.   Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge? Our biggest challenge so far is working capital. We would like to reach out many customers and participate in festivals but the working capital is a major challenge to meet that demand.   Q: What is something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business? One interesting thing is that both owners are health professionals promoting healthy lifestyle and equity. When we initially established Maraki it was to introduce healthy Ethiopian food and coffee ceremony to the Western community. We believe we can create a healthy community through socialization and understanding each other’s culture.   Q: What types of services or programs have been helpful? FIN services have been helpful for the success of Maraki as a catering service. The Network has supported us in accessing a commissary kitchen, creating a forum to network with potential customers, and facilitating us to get our business license and health permits.  

Want to brighten up your next social event?

Call Lidia & Fanaye today!

 

SeaTac’s first farm stand This Thursday, 4-6pm at Matt Griffin YMCA. Get local fruits and vegetables.

SeaTac’s first farm stand at the Matt Griffin YMCA.  . Come shop for local fruits and vegetables at the farm stand this Thursday, from 4-6pm at the Matt Griffin YMCA. This week we’ll have cherries, peaches, apricots, apples, carrots, rainbow chard, sugar snap peas, salad mix and zucchini! Come on opening day and get a FREE COOKBOOK! What’s cookin’? WSU’s Food $ense will be doing cooking demos—sharing easy, healthy recipes you can use with produce bought from the stands. The Eating Well for Less cookbook features recipes and tips for eating on a budget. Recipes are kid-tested!

SeaTac Community Garden – Accepting Applications!

SeaTac's first community garden (located at North SeaTac Park) is now accepting applications! See the garden application for more details: CommunityGardenApplication_2017

Healthy Kids Day

Last Saturday, FIN advocates, along with other partners, attended the YMCA's Healthy Kids Day and hosted a cooking station to demonstrate to kids and parents how fun and easy it is to eat healthy food. Here's what Gladis had to say about the experience: "It was a great experience for me to participate in the Healthy kids event at Matt Griffin YMCA. It was the first time that I have the opportunity to teach hands on how to make guacamole, which is a food that represents my culture  and it is also a healthy dip made from vegetables.I really enjoy knowing that a healthy recipe can  make a difference in somebody's life,  especially with children and since this event was family friendly, many families could taste and learn from scratch how to make this food.I am very thankful to FIN for  give me the chance to connect with the community through food."                     - Gladis Clemente   [gallery ids="1449,1450,1451,1452,1453" orderby="rand"]

The 2nd Annual FIN Resource Fair is Here!

We are excited to host the 2nd Annual FIN Resource Fair May 12th from 5:30-8pm at Foster High School. This year we will be bringing together resources for both entrepreneurs and community members. Folks can get help starting a food business, finding a job in the food industry, or taking food and nutrition classes. More than 20 resource providers will be participating. We will have fun children’s activities and feature food from the FIN entrepreneurs.  Join us in celebrating the diversity of South King County through food! If you are interested in coming or want to invite others, visit us on Facebook.

SeaTac Community Garden

City of SeaTac’s first community garden is scheduled to open the spring of 2017 at North SeaTac Park adjacent to the botanical and Japanese gardens.  The community garden will have small garden plots available to SeaTac residents for rent (April 1-October 31). Plants grown on the rented plots are for personal use, donations or to share with others. Eligibility ~ Plot holder must be at least 18 years of age. ~ City of SeaTac residents have priority in receiving a plot. Non-residents may apply and be assigned a plot if available. Residency will be confirmed by a valid State of Washington driver’s license or utility bill. ~ A maximum of 2 plots can be assigned to a household if all other eligible gardeners have received a plot. Registration Opens Tuesday, January 3rd! ~ You may register at the SeaTac Community Center. Link to application form is below. ~ Registration fee is $40 per year. Registration information provided in links below. SeaTac Community Garden Brochure (Information, Rules & Regulations)

Cesar Amaral, MX180 Nutrition

One of the most frightening things Cesar Amaral has ever done was to become an entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, he says, you must take responsibility for everything. You become the deliveryman, the marketing guru, and the business developer. But if you can plan, re-evaluate, and be persistent it will all pay off. It begins with taking responsibility and most of all, pushing yourself. Cesar’s mother passed away from diabetes in 2012 and, to him, it was a wake-up call that changed his life. Although he had built a successful career in banking he wasn’t fulfilled; he was 275lbs and wanted to turn his life around. He started simple, walking 30 minutes a day and eating small meals every three hours. As he began to improve his own health, Cesar looked to the Latino community and found alarming rates of diabetes and obesity and very few role models for health and nutrition. In taking control of his own life, it became his mission to become a role model in the Latino community and fight the diabetes and obesity epidemics. By 2014, he had left his job in banking and become certified as a personal trainer. He was producing workout videos and holding group workout classes in Spanish in an effort to get other Latinos more active. But obesity trends were still slowly rising and he started to shift his focus to nutrition as well as exercise. After much research he developed MX180, a weight management and nutrition program for people who are overweight or obese and need to improve their health. MX180 focuses on personalized nutrition plans with Mexican style meal options, virtual personal training, and a specially developed MX180 protein shake. With the launch of MX180, Cesar has become a community leader, often speaking at schools about nutrition and healthy; he truly helps people turn their lives around 180 degrees. What advice does Cesar offer other entrepreneurs? “Always connect to like-minded people. A majority of the world will tell you you’re not going to make it so it’s important to believe in yourself because the euphoria wears off. When you start something it’s so new and you’re so determined, but what will you do a few months from now when you are tired and run-down? During the dark moments you really need to dig in, get out of bed, and find people who will help keep you motivated.” “Dig in, believe in yourself, and go for it.” If you're ready to take control of your life by forming new healthy habits, try the MX180 30-Day Plan. For more details call (206) 853-9847. Check out the MX180 website and connect with them on Facebook and Instagram.