News from Kitchen Chicago

We have a couple of great presentations coming up for new and growing small food businesses:

On March 28, we've invited Moss Architecture & Design to come speak at Kitchen Chicago about the process of finding and building out the right space for food businesses, with a focus on sustainability.

And on April 11, we've asked the team at Barrington Packaging Systems Group to return for their "Packaging & Branding" presentation. They will be discussing a variety of topics, including packaging, pricing, building a brand, and product distribution.

Both are open to the public. RSVP's appreciated, but not required. Hope you can join us!

After some back-and-forth with a number of City of Chicago depts, including CDPH, BACP, and Cultural Affairs, we've arrived at a draft ordinance proposal that will be presented to City Council this Wednesday. Next steps involve the ordinance going before the Committee on License and Consumer Protection before coming up for vote in City Council, potentially next month.

A few final changes are being made, but we should have the draft for those interested in the next few days.

The City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) hosts monthly workshops, free to the public. Check out their offerings for March.

This month includes writing business plans, financing a business, email marketing, and (gulp) bankruptcy.

We've invited a few people into the kitchen this month to speak about areas we think many micro-/small- food businesses would be interested in. Find more information on our event calendar.

First, on March 20, industry veterans from the team at Barrington Packaging Systems Group will be presenting "Beyond the Test Kitchen: Commercializing Your Idea and Bringing Your Product to Market." Topics to include packaging, pricing, building a brand, and product distribution.

Second, on March 24, IDPH representative Tim Shekleton, will speak on proper food handling and sanitation guidelines. This is a great way to learn about working in a regulated environment such as food, and understanding the requirements and reasoning.

We hope you can join us for one or both!

The Chicago Tribune named Kitchen Chicago as a recipient of it's 2010 Good Eating Awards. From their site:

Good Eating salutes those people in the Chicago-area food and beverage world who are making a difference through their passion, vision and commitment to quality. This year's awards go to a range of experts, including entrepreneurs, auctioneers, consultants, cooks and cheese mongers. All have enhanced the Chicago scene with their accomplishments.

Read our entry over at the Trib.