Are you a dedicated culinary artist of color with a dream of sharing your taste with others?
For those who have been in search of an opportunity to launch their own business, local nonprofit Fourth Plain Forward is hosting an informational session for its first culinary business incubator on Thursday.
The “Stepping Forward” business incubator is a seven-month program that will provide members of the community with helpful resources to launch their own culinary business. It is geared to people of color who live within the limits of the city of Vancouver.
Those who participate in the program have access to the Fourth Plain Forward commissary kitchen, business coaching, marketing and assistance with business costs.
If you go
What: Business incubator information session.
Where: Fourth Plain Community Commons, 3101 E. Fourth Plain Blvd., Suite 101
When: 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday.
Register:https://form.jotform.com/232614694122049
“The goal of this program is to lower barriers and promote diversity. We really want to focus on the underrepresented population of the city of Vancouver,” said program manager Miryam Valdivia Romero.
Romero said the program is free to those who participate and takes a hand-on approach to walk aspiring business owners through the steps. The nonprofit has been planning it for more than a year.
“When someone starts a business, they’re often presented with many barriers which they don’t know how to navigate — the business incubator handles permits, licensing and marketing,” she said. “We wanted to build something robust that addresses the needs of our community.”
Applications for the “Stepping Forward” program will open at 9 a.m. on Nov. 1 and must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 17. The seven-month program is set to start mid-January.
Eligible candidates should be proficient in English, over the age of 18 and have up to one year of food business experience.
Fourth Plain Forward is a nonprofit that focuses on “uplifting Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, alongside those facing resource limitations and exclusion from mainstream services,” according to its website.
