WHO IS A FOODIEPRENEUR?
A foodiepreneur is anyone who is aspiring to be or already in the business of food or beverages. If you make, sell, wholesale, or manufacture consumable products - YOU are a foodiepreneur!
This year’s Foodiepreneur programming caters to both Restaurants & Food Trucks and Consumer Packaged Goods.
Which kind of foodiepreneur are you?
RESTAURANTEURS
From Concept to Scale: Launch or Grow Your Restaurant Business
A 6-Week Accelerator for Aspiring and New Foodiepreneurs
Turn your culinary vision into a thriving business. This intensive 6-week online accelerator program walks you through every critical stage of building a successful food business- from your initial concept and brand identity to daily operations and scaling your venture for long-term growth.
Across 8 intentionally sequenced modules, you'll gain the frameworks, tools, and confidence to make smart decisions at every stage of your journey. Whether you're dreaming of your first location or ready to expand, this course gives you a proven roadmap built for the real world of the foodiepreneur industry.
What you'll walk away with:
A defined business concept and brand strategy for food trucks, restaurants or other foodiepreneur-style businesses
A fundable business plan and financial model
Operational systems that run without you in the room
A scaling playbook ready for your next location or revenue stream
Who this is for: Aspiring restaurateurs, foodiepreneurs, food truck owners, chefs ready to go independent, and existing owners looking to grow with structure and strategy.
No prior business experience required — just passion, drive, and a big idea.
Classes will meet virtually every Tuesday from 10:00am - 11:00am, beginning September 15th and ending on October 27th. Topics include:
Creating an effective restaurant roadmap
Licensing, permitting and location
Restaurant profitability 101
Strategic menu management
Effective restaurant marketing
Cultivating company culture
Executing an exception guest experience
Scaling your business
Application closes August 26th.
Meet Your Restauranteur Facilitators
Lauren Storeby and Tiffany Helton are two female restauranteurs that have a combined 20+ years of real and raw restaurant ownership experience. They have been in your shoes and know the ins and outs of running a successful restaurant business. Currently residing in Fort Collins, CO they both work "day in and day out" in their businesses, make time to take care of their families and are heavily involved in the local hospitality sector.
Lauren Storeby, currently owns Snack Attack Specialty Sandwiches and Brews with her husband, plus owns and operates Happy Trails Coffee Co on her own.
Tiffany Helton, currently co-owns Stuft Burger Bar and works part time as a business consultant helping entrepreneurs in all industries scale their businesses.
Additionally both women hold positions as hospitality advisors for the SBDC in Larimer County, sit as chairs for the Northern Colorado Hospitality Sector Partnership and in 2022, were nominated in Biz West Publication as notable women in the Northern Colorado Hospitality Industry.
Cureate Courses
A 4-Week Accelerator for Food, Farm, & Beverage Entrepreneurs
CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS
Through expert-led workshops, you'll gain the strategy, systems, and confidence to increase sales, strengthen operations, and unlock new market opportunities. Whether you're preparing for wholesale, expanding production, or refining your brand, Cureate Courses equips you with the tools to build a resilient, profitable business.
Classes will meet virtually every Thursday from 4:00pm - 5:00pm, beginning September 17th and ending on October 8th.
Topics include:
Building a Brand Beyond a Logo
Understanding Your Unique Value Proposition
Product Pricing for Profitability
Tips for Winning Over Retail Buyers
At the end of the program, on Thursday, October 22, 2026, there will be a Pitch Showcase where you will present your brand to potential buyers.
Application Closes August 26th
Meet Your Consumer Packaged Goods Facilitators
Kim Bryden is an accomplished business development professional with expertise in strategy, marketing, and operations focusing on the food & beverage industry and economic development. Kim has consulted 400+ small businesses on growth strategy, building out diversified revenue streams, and identifying new market opportunities. In addition to her commitment to small business growth at-large, Kim’s expertise has led her to develop multi-sector, public-private partnerships across industries such as governmental agencies, food tech start-ups, and top Fortune 500 retailers and foodservice operators.
Now she leads the growth of Cureate throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Heartland regions, as the business continues to grow nationwide. Kim is the Board Vice President of Ozark Natural Foods Coop, a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier International and a member of the Sandbox Network. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Digital Media Management and Analytics from Georgetown University and a BA in Public Communication & Spanish from American University.
Cureate is a woman-owned and operated food-tech company and business development consulting firm, focusing on building local/regional food & beverage supply systems. Through our proprietary educational curricula for farms and food businesses, a local procurement platform, and strategic counsel, Cureate has become a tested model for supply & demand match-making — connecting big & small business value chains that have been fragmented for too long. Effecting change requires a multi-stakeholder approach, and Cureate has met that challenge since 2014.
Cody Jacobs is Cureate's Food Entrepreneur Coordinator. She is a social entrepreneur motivated by compassion for people and the planet. Cody co-founded Open Farmhouse, a space to farm, live, and create in Redding, CT and has worked for over ten years in economic development and food sovereignty. She has extensive experience hosting community events, from farm to table dinners to group mentor sessions, and she is passionate about building connections. Previously, she worked for WE NYC, the official initiative of the City of New York to support and empower women entrepreneurs. She is also a photographer whose work includes experimental use of 35 mm film and documenting cooperatives in Cuba. Cody has experience in the cooperative movement as a founder, board member, worker, and researcher. Cody has a BA Honours in Anthropology and a Minor in Photography from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. She has worked for multiple small food businesses and understands the importance of local procurement in creating an equitable food system.
Apply Today!
limited space available - application closes August 26th!
