Motherlode Market's Kitchen 66 program is currently accepting new applicants.
Since our founding in 2016, we have supported over 200 food entrepreneurs and hope to continue supporting even more in the future.
Many chefs have a passion for cooking, but owning and running a restaurant takes more than a dream.
“To run a successful business, you have to work hard and you have to work for it,” Carla Meneses said. “Especially when you're starting out, you might have to work 16-hour days until you find the right people. It takes time and dedication. So that's what people have to understand, because it's easy to say on paper but hard to execute.”
Carla Meneses is the owner of Que Gusto, located in the heart of the Arts District.
She enrolled in Mother Road Market's Kitchen 66 program to fulfill her dream of sharing Ecuadorian recipes.
“Kitchen 66 really prepared me for this job because we were just starting out with no real experience or ability to test products. We had to create a menu and see what people liked and how they responded to the idea,” she said.
Carisa Smith is the Kitchen 66 program director, and she says the program will look a little different this year with an emphasis on creating a business plan.
“Honestly, we decided to make this change because we saw the pain of food entrepreneurs and how we struggle as the economy and other times change. It's great to have dreams, but times are tough, especially for food entrepreneurs, and we've had to address the business side of things,” Smith said.
Carla says the program's updates are beneficial and she hopes other chefs will achieve their dreams through Kitchen 66.
“When we cook and serve food, we do it with love and share our culture with others. To me, that's the best part. We feel blessed because we get to meet all our customers and become part of the community,” she said.
The application deadline is August 10th and classes begin on September 16th.
