There's so much to consider when starting a food business: marketing, branding, social media, labels, funding... becoming proficient in these areas can take just as much time as developing your recipe! We are proud to host an upcoming event that will cover these important topics, and more.

Join us on Saturday, March 23 from 9am to 3pm in the Downtown Market Banquet Room for the largest Culinary Conversations event to date! This full day of learning will put you in a room with experts from various fields, who will share their knowledge "speed dating" style: each speaker will run a small group discussion at a table for 15 minutes, then they rotate. Make sure to stick around afterwards for a Food Industry Networking happy hour!

Guest speakers for the day include:

• Ryan Bolhuis, Downtown Market Incubator Kitchen - “How to Go From Home to Pro”

• Laurie Supinski, Start Garden - “Pitching Your Business"

• Paola Mendivil, Grow - “Lending, Working Capital, Funding”

• Kendra Wills, MSU - “Specialty Food Safety and Licensing ”

• Steve Assarian and Sara Proano, GRPL - "Data and Your Business Plan"

• Dean Sinclair, CPG Farms - "Launch Strategies and Marketing"

• Shawn Kohlhaas, Culinary Cultivations - "Processes and Logistics of Food"

• Heather Campbell - S. Abraham Distributions - "Working with Brokers and Distributors"

• Kalene McElveen, Tastefull Vegan Desserts - "The Journey of Food Entrepreneurship"

• Isabel Lopez Slattery, Isabel Media Studios - "Photography, Marketing and Social Media"

By registering for Culinary Conversations events, you permit the use of your image (including, but not limited to photographs, audio recordings, or videos), without charge and without reservation—all or a portion of your story, likeness, and voice in future Downtown Market promotion.
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The Culinary Conversations MeetUp group is a partnership between the Grand Rapids Downtown Market Education Foundation, GROW, MSU Extension, and Start Garden.