Annual CitySeed-Collab Food Business Accelerator Grads Showcase Set

From CitySeed:

NEW HAVEN, CT —The Annual Showcase of the CitySeed -Collab Food Business Accelerator graduates is Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the CitySeed and Dixwell Q House Farmers Market, 197 Dixwell Ave.

Ten Food Business Accelerator graduates will prepare signature dishes in sample sizes to present to the community for free. The Showcase will celebrate the work of Tortilleria Semilla Cooperative, Brittney’s Famous Alabama Kitchen, Heartfelt Catering, Caribe Soul, Momma Kiss Kitchen Cuisine, Pup Pizza Dog Bakery, Suga & Spice Me, Mitho Garden, Razzi’s Eats & Treats, and Auntie Sheelah's Cheesecakes.

The Showcase is free to attend and open to all, and sponsored by the International Festival of Arts & Ideas and Dept. of Arts, Tourism, & Culture. Tickets are available here.

The Food Business Accelerator is a partnership between CitySeed and Collab, which prepares early-stage food entrepreneurs to turn their emerging food ventures into thriving businesses. The Food Business Accelerator removes barriers to food entrepreneurship across Connecticut through training, network-building, and access to resources. In the process, the Accelerator creates economic opportunity for all, increases leadership among people of color and immigrant food entrepreneurs, and strengthens our local food system by linking rising food entrepreneurs to farmers.

In Fall 2023, CitySeed and Collab received over 50 applications to participate in the Food Business Accelerator. From among these, 10 food ventures were selected, including catering, food product lines, and food truck businesses. Ventures completed a 12-week training program through which they received business development workshops, mentors, free commercial kitchen space, pro-bono services, and ServSafe certification.

Cara Santino, CitySeed’s Food Entrepreneurship Director, expressed excitement in the graduates’ accomplishments, noting that “we are so proud of all of the dedication and hard work that the FBA ventures have put into their business in the past year. Now ventures have loyal customer bases, are hosting events, and are sharing their food with the community.”

Cindy Rodriguez, Business Operations Associate at Collab, is excited to welcome back FBA graduates from various cohorts to showcase their exceptional food creations. “We are continually impressed by the dedication and hard work our graduates put into perfecting their products, and it’s truly rewarding to witness their growth and provide them with a platform to share their achievements,” said Rodriguez.

Learn about starting your own food business at cityseed.org/cityseed-incubates.
For more information about CitySeed and its programs, and to subscribe to updates, visit cityseed.org.

For more information about Collab and its programs, visit collabnewhaven.org.