Five finalists will gather Dec. 1 in Denver to pitch their food and restaurant concepts at the Trout Tank: Food Frenzy event.
The event, hosted by Mission Yogurt Inc. and the Denver Metro Small Business Development Center, will take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the offices of The Denver Post, 101 W. Colfax Ave. Finalists will present their business plans to investors, lenders and a panel of judges made up of restaurateurs and industry experts; the winner will get a $5,000 cash prize to bring his or her vision to life.
“At Mission Yogurt, our business is to partner with innovative restaurateurs and help them to expand their businesses, in our case, to airports,” says Rod Tafoya, president and owner of Mission Yogurt. “I, too, started with just one small restaurant concept more than 25 years ago and couldn’t be more excited to sponsor this first-of-its-kind, culinary-focused Trout Tank to help provide opportunities to local food and beverage industry entrepreneurs.”
The five finalists participating are:
- Komotodo Sushi Burrito, a local concept offering sushi burritos, salads and desserts
- Kulture Foods, featuring gluten-free baked goods
- Just BE Kitchen, which manufactures and distributes gluten-, grain- and refined sugar-free food and is looking to move into a restaurant space
- Petey Bird, which sells ice cream sandwiches and is available for catering
- Mac ’N Noodles, a restaurant featuring different varieties of macaroni and cheese that are cooked to order
“We have a powerhouse group of finalists, and we’re proud that with Mission Yogurt we can provide the opportunity for them to share those ideas, make connections and start or grow their business,” says Abram Sloss, Denver Metro SBDC executive director.
Trout Tank launched in 2014. The Food Frenzy event will be the first industry-specific edition of the event. Tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for Denver Metro Chamber members. Those interested can register to attend at trouttank.com.
