Spice Happenings - Virtual Round Table Wraps Up

5th Annual Food Entrepreneur Round Table

March 11, 2021

Saturday, February 27th marked the fifth annual (and first virtual) Food Entrepreneur Round Table organized by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City’s Spice Kitchen Incubator and generously presented by Comcast. With nearly 100 individuals registered across 12 U.S. states, Europe, and Canada, and presented in 5 different languages, this was by far our largest Round Table yet!

The day-long event included welcome and keynote addresses, six breakout sessions covering a wide range of industry-specific topics, the New American Dream Lab pitches, and a short video with nine community resources.

Emily Park, the IRC SLC's Morgan Stanley Fellow, teaches a virtual cooking class during the Food Entrepreneur Round Table

Though this was the fifth annual Round Table, due to the pandemic, it was the first held virtually. The event provided an opportunity for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs to connect with each other and learn more about sustaining and growing a business during the pandemic.

Jackie Rodabaugh, community relations coordinator at Spice Kitchen Incubator, says that her goal for the event was to “create a space for continued learning, not just for entrepreneurs in the Spice Kitchen Incubator program, but other aspiring and current food entrepreneurs.”

Attendees engaged in several breakout sessions where they heard directly from industry experts on a range of topics, including marketing in the digital age, product packaging and small business financing. “With strong partners and a total team collaboration, we were able to be flexible and make it work,” Jackie says, about finding quick solutions to the difficulties presented by pivoting the events to a virtual setting.

Breakout sessions were led by local and national experts, including Karin Allen representing Utah State University Extension, Zaynah Hindi of Reem’s California, Casey Clark from Western Governor’s University, and International Rescue Committee in Salt Lake City staff Neely Evanoff and Anat Berday-Sacks, to name a few.

During the day-long Round Table, the IRC in Salt Lake City also hosted the annual New American Dream Lab, in partnership with the Microbusiness Connection Center. Three finalists were selected to participate in the friendly business pitch competition, each sharing presentations about the small business they were hoping to grow. Claire Kirkland, microenterprise development AmeriCorps VISTA, coordinated and organized the competition this year. She says she is especially proud of all contestants that worked so tirelessly to prepare their presentations and pitches for the event.

Two entrepreneurs tied for the first-place prize: Florence, owner and operator of Fire Twist hot sauce, and Zubaidah, a jeweler and artist operating Zubaidah Boutique. Florence reflected on the successes of the day, “the event was great, and Claire was great with supporting us through the event since it was on Zoom.”

Zubaidah shared that she appreciates the opportunity that New American Dream Lab has given her to learn and gain experience. It was her first time doing a presentation. At first, Zubaidah was nervous about participating, but now she feels new confidence to take on future presentations: “Even if I did not win, I got the experience and have understanding of what to do in the business world.”

Claire feels grateful for the efforts that went into making this virtual Round Table happen, mentioning that it would not have been possible without the generous event sponsorship from Comcast, whose donation ensured business capital the prizes for the New American Dream Lab finalists.

Zubaidah has big dreams for the future of her business. With the business capital prize in hand, she has already started taking the next steps towards growing her business, by purchasing equipment that makes it easier for others who don’t share her expertise, to help her craft jewelry. “I want to hire girls to work with me, I want to grow my business to a high quality, high-end brand,” Zubaidah says, with determination and excitement.

The IRC in Salt Lake City is grateful to leverage resources and community expertise to provide opportunities for new American entrepreneurs to learn and grow as they strive to achieve their small business dreams. A heartfelt thanks to Comcast whose generous presenting sponsorship provided business capital prizes for the finalists of the New American Dream Lab, covered material and resource expenses, and ensured the opportunity to translate educational resources to four different languages.

Learn how you can continue support for the entrepreneurs we serve in Salt Lake County by visiting Rescue.org/SupportSLC.