The schedule will include networking over coffee, a pitch from Ian Pasquarelli of The Kitchen Network and lessons learned from Joey Conover of Latitude 38.
The Kitchen Network began in Charlottesville, VA as a response to the burgeoning growth of small food businesses in dire need of adequate affordable commercial kitchen production space. The founding team came upon the realization that each and every community in Charlottesville and beyond already have commercial kitchens at their disposal, but the missing piece was the vital connection between rental kitchens and aspiring food businesses. With the creation of The Kitchen Network, they have bridged the gap between these two entities and created new opportunities for local businesses and kitchen owners in every community.
Joey Conover is co-owner, contracts and finance manager at Latitude 38. Joey grew up three blocks from the Downtown Mall and remembers the lunch counter at Woolworths. She also helped oversee its transformation into a copper-clad retail store. Joey is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the Darden School of Business, and the current Chair of the Coalition for Economic Opportunity, which seeks to provide a community-based alternative to predatory lending in the Charlottesville area. She is also licensed to sell real estate in the Commonwealth of Virginia at Nest Realty. And somehow she still finds time to scrape together dinner for Jeff and their two girls (most days).