NORFOLK, Va. — Eleven local food businesses now have an opportunity to cater events for the city of Norfolk after completing an eight-week training program designed to help food entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses.
The businesses are part of the sixth cohort of Norfolk’s Bon Appétit program. Participants began training in early September, with each week focusing on a different aspect of operating a food business, including branding and finances.
The last day on October 30 had each business owner present their business to the rest of the group and answer questions from city representatives.
“All of the businesses that participated today will be added to a master catering list that we share with city departments for future catering opportunities,” said Lashawnda Hall, Norfolk’s senior economic inclusion manager.
The training is free to participants, according to Hall. Businesses that complete the program also become eligible for a $7,500 grant.
For business owner Danya Whipple, the program culminated in a different kind of challenge: pitching her business to a room full of people.
“Give me a microphone, give me a camera, I’m good to go,” Whipple said. “Now you really have to convince people to buy into what you have.”
Whipple is a veteran TV journalist and the owner of Beignets and Brew in Ghent. She said the program’s financial lessons were among the most valuable takeaways.
“I think that’s a big part of being a business owner that people kind of put on the back burner, overlook,” Whipple said. “You think, ‘Hey, I have this idea, this is how I’ll make it work,’ but you really have to be particular with the finances, and they gave us so many great tools to be able to do that.”
For Whipple and the other participants, getting onto the city’s catering list could translate into new business.
“Hopefully, they’ll call us and say, ‘Hey, we have this event. We want you to cater this,’” Whipple said.
The program also gave the 11 business owners a chance to build relationships with one another during their two months of training.
Hall described their final presentations as the culmination of the eight-week program.
A seventh Bon Appétit cohort is expected to launch in March, with applications expected to open in January.
Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.
