Learn about a new Covington-based incubator kitchen that’s helping local start-ups cook up success.
Looking to start or grow your own food-based business? There’s a new 5,000 sq. ft. commercial incubator kitchen in Covington now available for rent.
Kickstart Kitchen, located in the basement of the CovWorx building, offers a variety of rental options – from hourly to monthly – for start-ups looking for commercial kitchen space.
The idea came to founder Mavis Linnemann-Clark from her first-hand experience launching her businesses. Her first company, The Delish Dish, was launched through the spring class of Bad Girl Ventures. That same year, she joined the Northern Kentucky Incubator Kitchen and launched her artisan jam line, Made by Mavis. “I started my company from an incubator and I thought it was a great way to start a business,” she says. “Now I want to help others do the same.”
Linnemann-Clark says she offers more than just the kitchen space, too. “As a business we offer commercial kitchen space and complimentary business services for our clients,” she adds, “we offer them a community.”
Mavis Linnemann-Clark, Founder of Kickstart Kitchen.
To many new businesses, Kickstart Kitchen acts as a mentor of sorts and brings these businesses into a community full of people who want to help. People in the community can then grow from each other and their lessons learned.
Linnemann-Clark says the process of Kickstart Kitchen begins with one-on-one discussions between her and potential clients, and then they discuss the rental details and develop a plan that will help the client and their business grow. After that, it is up to the individual to create their own success story.
A local food tour takes guests on a tasty trip around Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky’s best locally-owned restaurants. Read on for all the delicious details.
Riverside Food Tours is a walking food tour through unique Tri-State neighborhoods.
Sightseeing tours are nothing new, but Covington-based Riverside Food Tours puts a new twist on an old favorite: The walking tour explores the sights and culture of the unique neighborhoods Northern Kentucky and downtown Cincinnati through food, stopping at five locally owned restaurants on each tour.
“We visit various restaurants, sampling signature dishes the chef and owner wish to showcase,” explains Owner and tour guide Laura Noyes, who co-owns Riverside Food Tours with her husband Mike. “We sample a craft beer or glass of wine and always include a sweet or dessert. As we stroll from stop to stop, we share history, photos, travel tips and interesting facts about the neighborhood. Since all the tours are in historic neighborhoods, we learn about the beautiful architecture and the area’s famous residents.”
Tours are about three hours long, run five days a week, and groups typically include twelve or fewer people, including both locals who want to try out several new restaurants at once and visitors from out of town.
Riverside Food Tours was founded in the fall of 2015. Before the founding, Noyes worked in interior design and her husband worked at Procter & Gamble. On a visit to Newport, Rhode Islands, Laura and Mike booked their first food tour. “We loved the concept and wanted to recreate the experience back home,” she says. So they did.
Every tour hosted by Riverside Food Tours is different, but all focus on locally-owned eateries that source their products from local farmers and businesses. On the Madison Avenue tour, guests visit ethnic restaurants and eat authentic food from Israel, Persia, China and Mexico. Riverside Food Tours also visits the Braxton Brewing Company, owned by a local family in Kentucky. The tours provide a wide variety of flavors, and at the end, when the guide asks guests which restaurant was their favorite, they are often told that they were all so good it’s impossible to choose.
“Riverside Food Tours is a unique experience for locals, because it allows them an opportunity to view their city in a whole new light,” Noyes explains. “They visit neighborhoods for the first time, dine at local restaurants, hear the history and enjoy the camaraderie of the group. It’s a perfect afternoon adventure that’s so different from the ordinary routine. It’s also nice for those hosting friends and family from out of town, because we do all the work!”
Cincy Chic’s Director of Operations Stephanie Simon during her tour with Riverside Food Tours.
Riverside Food Tours also hosts groups celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions, and showers.
To learn more, visit http://riversidefoodtours.com/, and check out this awesome experience Cincy Chic’s Director of Operations Stephanie Simon:
John and I did the Mainstrasse Village FoodTour. Perfect date for a couple with a children! Laura, owner and our tour guide, is SUPER knowledgable. Tour was not just about the food and different bars/restaurants but the history of that area as well! After 3 hours of samplings, you def. leave full! Highly recommended for anyone who is looking for something different to do! We can’t wait to try out the other tours they offer!
An upcoming event has the city’s high-ranking VPs, CEOs, executives and educators shedding their suits and rocking out for a great cause. Keep reading for more.
Suits That Rock 2015 is set for June 20 and 27. Image: Steven Thomas, Photographic Memories LLC
Tri-State executives plan to gather inside the historic Carnegie building in Covington, originally constructed in 1904 as a Carnegie Library. While libraries, history and executives typically spell “snoozefest,” the upcoming Suits that Rock event is an exception.
Suits That Rock is a benefit concert with more than 40 prominent business and community leaders taking the stage at The Carnegie in Covington for the 8th annual event. This fund-raiser benefits The Carnegie Eva G. Farris Education Center and helps children across the Greater Cincinnati area.
“Since its inception in 2008, Suits That Rock has raised more than $460,000 for the Eva G. Farris Education Center programs which provide more than 51,000 contact hours to children each year,” says Katie Brass, executive director for The Carnegie.
The concept began in 2007 as Kevin Canafax and John Domaschko brainstormed ways to start a fun fundraising event that would be unique and enjoyable. They realized many local executives were former or current members of bands, and so began Suits That Rock. Today, the event is annual, growing from one night to two, and attracting sponsorships with major businesses such as Toyota, PNC and Fidelity Investments.
Over the years, Suits That Rock has welcomed performances by a variety of professionals from some of the area’s household name businesses, including Dewey’s Pizza founder, Andrew Dewitt; Managing Director, Foundation Office at Fifth Third Bank, Heidi B. Jark; and College of Mount St. Joseph Professor, Mark Fischer. This year, there will be both new and returning performers who will be ready to rock out – one performer actually already has a musical background!
Some of this year’s performers include Cliff Adams, the Assistant Professor of Vernacular Music and The College-Conservatory of Music at UC; and Bob Blanchard, Former Group Vice President of P&G.
This year’s first concert will be held on June 20, and the other on June 27, both shows start at 8 p.m. Click here to learn more and RSVP.
