Startup Kitchen
by Startacus Admin
At Startacus we love to highlight and feature innovative and creative initiatives that are happening all over the world that inspire us and we hope will inspire some of you too. One such project is the Startup Kitchen programme 
which started earlier this year in Washington DC. The project is enabling a startup food entrepreneur to partner with a local restaurant and to temporarily operate their food concept in a restaurant environment, without of course any of the normal hindrances of risk and investment.
The project which started in June of this year required aspiring restaurateurs to present a business model and to cook for a panel of established industry veterans. The professionals then reviewed each of the entries both by tasting their food, and also by assessing and critiquing their business models.
The prize for the winning applicant was pretty special:
- the opportunity to take over the kitchen of Domku, a local Slavic and Scandinavian restaurant, for one day a week for a period of 4 weeks
- the opportunity to test and try out recipes in a real commercial kitchen
- the chance to create a marketing buzz and interest
- the opportunity to get direct feedback from real customers about the food and the concept
The project is masterminded by local entrepreneur Kera Carpenter in partnership with the Think Local First DC initiative. The recently announced winner, Priya Ammu, will also benefit from the ongoing support and advice they will receive from Kera, herself a successful restaurateur. She will gain expert advice on everything from budgeting and pricing through to where to purchase ingredients. This incubation process will enable the budding restaurateur to gain real practical knowledge and insight that she would never ordinarily get the chance to. The Startup Kitchen starts for real, next week, September 17th and by all accounts will be a pretty successful affair.
Initiatives like this that can really empower and inspire people to go forward and do their own thing have to be commended. Great work Kera and the Startup Kitchen team and good luck Priya!
Whilst of course location may mean that you may not be able to get directly involved with this particular project, it doesn’t mean you couldn’t initiate or develop a similar idea or project wherever you are. If this is inspiring you to create your own version of the Startup Kitchen, do let us know - we’d love to hear all about it.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
SupplyCompass, a design-to-delivery sourcing platform that provides an efficient and sustainable solution for global supply chains, agrees a £1.5m seed fund deal.
Apprenticeship startup WhiteHat raises $16m Series A led by Index Ventures and prepares to expand its alternative to university.
How can women effectively challenge gender bias in the workplace? Hayley Mackenzie from Boiler Guide, shares here thoughts and experience.
The app that's aiming to help us to take the first step in reversing climate change...
The startup that's providing Nursing Home residents with additional meaningful social interactions provided by local people!
Some easy and inexpensive ways to make your start-up more secure.
The vidiCREW app is on a mission to show your wedding through the eyes of your loved ones. How does it work?
The Startup Leadership Program continues to grow, inviting applications for its 9th London cohort to join the six-month program.
The SaaS startup that helps training providers make the most of their customer feedback
If you're looking for a suitable location to launch your next UK business, Manchester deserves a spot on your shortlist; here’s why.
Published on: 13th September 2012
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Startup Leadership Program invites applications for its 9th London cohort 12th Jul 2019 The Startup Leadership Program continues to grow, inviting applications for its 9th London cohort to join the six-month program.
- Latest Zinc Company Builder Programme to transform the quality of later life 9th Jul 2019 Do you want to build a new purpose-driven startup with support from a world-class network of experts?
- HealthTech startups sought for Greater Manchester Future of Health Challenge 4th Jul 2019 The Greater Manchester Future of Health Challenge is on the hunt for innovative healthtech startups and scaleups...
- Seedrs FMCG Accelerator Programme to help 10 UK-based FMCG businesses 3rd Jul 2019 Seedrs have launched their first FMCG Accelerator Programme dedicated to helping up to 10 UK-based FMCG businesses raise capital.
