Four New Women Owned Businesses Start Incubation In Our Community Kitchen

Starting a new business is a challenging thing in the best of times. COVID-19 has made this process even more uncertain but four new woman-owned businesses in the Local First Community Kitchen have taken on this challenge. Pastry Unicorn, Laurel Bakery, The Fresh Flavor, and She Provides Meal Prep are forging ahead with their business and are poised to be part of the change in our local food scene.

Pastry Unicorn

Bryce Cherven began Pastry Unicorn just this March and is taking the East Valley by storm. Her unique approach, presentation, and twists on classic pastries and baked goods is exciting. A common theme among new food entrepreneurs is that she was laid off from her job due to the pandemic. Faced with the relentless nature of the service industry when she found herself unemployed she knew it was time for a change, “I knew that if I was going to continue doing this thing that I loved, I had to take my time, my life, and my mental health into my own hands.” Bryce also knew that after culinary school she wanted something a little closer to her personality. A check of the Pastry Unicorn’s Instagram will give you a pretty good idea of Bryce. Bright, colorful, fun, and creative. The Local First Community Kitchen has been, “a total game changer” bringing her pastries out from under cottage law, and its strict regulations, to be able to offer a full menu of sweet treats for her clients. Future goals for Pastry Unicorn are to rehab a vintage trailer into a mobile bakery and pastry food truck. For now, the Pastry Unicorn is available for special orders and has a host of regular offerings at the Mesa Farmers Market and Flea every Saturday from 7am-11am. You can also find her on social media here and here, as well as on her website.

The Fresh Flavor

Very Vegan Bowl made with tofu coconut curry, chickpeas cooked with onions and tomatoes in a spicy gravy, butter corn, saucy potato fries and steamed basmati rice

The Fresh Flavor is another upstart that is using the Local First Community Kitchen as a springboard to grow their business. Owner and operator, Sonal Agarwal sees her business as a way to bring Indian food that she makes at home to her clients. Fresh, healthy, and plant based Indian food that is the focus of her new venture. After a honeymoon in Hawaii that included a trip to a street market, the roots of her new business took hold. She saw, “vendors selling homemade food, and each food item was totally different from the other! It was a perfect blend of food, flavor, culture and tradition. That’s when we knew we wanted to do something like that. We knew we wanted to share our favorite recipes with as many people as possible and bring to them fresh flavors straight from our homes to their plates.” Sourcing fresh produce, prepping, and cooking from the community kitchen has been a wonderful process for her and where her passion lies. Local First has been there each step of the way to help get her business from idea to operation. Helping with paperwork, permitting, and making connections has helped The Fresh Flavor to grow. The Fresh Flavor is also at the Mesa Farmers Market and Flea every other Saturday from 7am-11am. You can also find them on social media here and here, as well as on their website.

Laurel Bakery

Laurel Bakery is another woman owned business that is thriving in the Local First Community Kitchen. For Chef and Owner, Laura Oliva , the journey to open her own micro-bakery is the culmination of a lifelong fascination with food and baking. Her mother began teaching her how to grease pans as a child while she baked breads and pies for the family in Honduras. When she came to the United States she enrolled in baking and pastry courses at her local community college. Two years ago, when her mother, who ignited her baking passion, had a major health scare Laura knew she should begin her business as a means of providing for her mother. She was accepted into the Fuerza Local Accelerator program which enabled her to match her baking skills with tools needed to start a successful business. She also enrolled in Local First’s Restaurant Start Up Boot Camp to learn focus her knowledge on the food industry. As a graduate of both the 13th Fuerza Accelerator and the Boot Camp cohort Laura is poised to grow her business. She is in the process of securing accounts at local bakeries and creating a presence at farmers markets around the area. Her specialties include many gluten free, vegan, and traditional pastries and goodies. Laura finds joy in the way food can connect us all. Her favorite part of owning a business, besides baking of course is, “The part outside the kitchen where you realize food can bring people together.” You can place orders with Laurel Bakery through their social media here and here or through the website.

She Provides

She Provides is an interesting take on the many meal prep services that have sprung up due to the increased amount of time we are all spending at home. The duo behind this start up is the mother and daughter team of Melissa and Sasha Bills. Both entrepreneurs are focused on the health benefits of food. Melissa loves to create healthy yet flavorful recipes to satisfy her clients while Sasha likes to help clients to understand that a meal plan is a way of life and commitment to that is crucial to their wellbeing. When asked how the business came into being Melissa says her daughter was the inspiration, “When Sasha first told me about her idea to begin a meal prep business it just resonated with me immediately. She was my inspiration.” Sasha is set to finish her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science in December and the goal is to marry her expertise in strength and conditioning with a passion for healthy meal prep inside this family business. The Local First Community Kitchen has enabled them to take their “side hustle” to the next level, “The spaciousness of a fully equipped restaurant kitchen has allowed us to strengthen our current clientele, grow our market share, and bring in new customers.” She Provides accepts orders through Instagram here or by calling 480-280-1739.

About the Local First Community Kitchen

The LFA Community Kitchen is a collaborative space located near downtown Mesa, Arizona. The kitchen is available to food entrepreneurs who are looking to start or grow their business and need a fully equipped space for small and large food operations to use at a low cost. Our space supports residents through entrepreneurial development and skills training, and aims to advance a healthy and engaged culinary community. We believe that through food, we cultivate inclusive and creative communities for generations to come.

Learn more here, or email Chef Gabe at gabe@localfirstaz.com.