Prior to starting her own business Hang was a stay at home mom. Her inspirational story stems from the loss of her husband, and her desire to share the food she fed him during his hospice with her community. She brings the experience from her family's restaurant in Vietnam along with her own culinary training, love for fresh farm-to-table ingredients, and extraordinary care to her business. Her recipes are special to her, and above making a living, she cooks to keep the memory of her husband alive for her daughter and her community.

Debbin loves to feed people, so she decided to start catering. She makes soul food that everyone loves. She is working towards a food truck, private catering experiences, and even her own cookbook!

Roxanne is a catering chef and owns a Jamaican and Caribbean-inspired food truck in the Bronx. She sells a wide variety of dishes targeted towards the NYC lunch rush and private/public events for catering + sales opportunities. She recently dissolved her business partnership, lost one of her food trucks in the process, and is hoping to pivot the business structure and refresh branding and digital marketing strategies in order to gain a new customer base.

Dennine stared making ice cream during the pandemic and ultimately decided to turn it into a business. Her flavors are unique, delicious, and inspired by her love of travel. This was especially important to her and her customers during the pandemic, when they were not able to travel. She is always developing new flavors and seeking new inspiration for her travel-based creamery.

Katie creates delicious plant-based cheeses to create an ethical, non-wasteful dairy alternative. As a former non-dairy food scientist, she brings a unique expertise that allows her to concoct bold, tasty flavors without compromising health or morals.

Nicole owns a natural soap and skincare e-commerce brand. She makes small-batches of these products by hand because she believes that your skin is your best outfit, and you should treat it with the best products. Nicole is looking to increase overall sales and the sales of her men's skincare products, improve branding on the website and social media, and eventually hiring a team.

"Tonika was a delivery driver who decided to ""step out on faith"". She applied for an online program called shechef for home chefs and bakers. Baking has always been her passion, she inherited it from her mother who introduced her to the kitchen at 6 years old. She went to college for business administration and quickly found out she wanted to work for herself, which led to trying to take baking to a full-time role."

While experimenting in the kitchen, Jamila stumbled upon a delicious and healthy coffee alternative, for those who are looking to cut down on caffeine, or struggle with the other side effects of coffee. Her unique blend combines chaga and roasted and ground date seeds. Everything is organic and locally sourced, and at this time, she does the packaging and grinding herself.

Andrew has been baking since he was 14 and has worked in bakeries all over New York City. He is extremely talented and having worked at the larger established bakeries in the area, he knows how to do all of the same intricate decorations that they offer. His cakes are custom designed and artistic, and he prides himself in the quality of his masterpieces. His goal is to open a studio.

Siobhan and her sister Monica were inspired to start their business by their grandmother and mother, who were also entrepreneurs. They honor family recipes in their delicious Caribbean-inspired beverages, which are all made with high-quality ingredients and without preservatives. They sell their drinks in pop-up shops and online.