Yuma Food Business Incubator - Restaurant Startup Boot Camp

A four-week intensive boot camp program designed to help aspiring food entrepreneurs grow their food business from ideation to marketplace.

Funding Source: $145,000 grant from Arizona Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Arizona Western College institutional funding

Partner Organization: Local First Arizona Foundation

Geographic Scope: Yuma, Arizona

Program Duration: 4 weeks (cohort-based)

Eligibility:

• Aspiring food entrepreneurs
• Food truck operators, caterers, food producers and packagers, other food-related business founders
• Selection is competitive based on applications

Class Size: Limited (first cohort: 7 students, second cohort: 5 students)

Facilities Provided: Yuma Commercial Kitchen space at AWC Yuma Campus with full commercial kitchen equipment

Curriculum Includes:

• Food safety training
• Cooking techniques
• Food service purchasing and permitting
• Financing and marketing
• Front and back of house operations
• Food service logistics
• Day-to-day operations
• Food service math
• Business analysis and planning

Support Provided: Mentorship from industry professionals, guidance from business faculty

Cost:

• Initial cohorts: No cost (fully funded)
• Future cohorts: Low cost through AWC Continuing Education

Leadership:

• Local First Arizona's Director of Food Programs: Gabe Gardner
• AWC Culinary Arts Professor: Robert Gedeon
• Chef: Robert Nidiffer (co-director)

Contact Information:

• Arizona Western College Workforce Development and Career and Technical Education
• Vice President: Reetika Dhawan
• Email: info@azcommunitycolleges.org

Application Process

1. Submit application to Arizona Western College
2. Applications reviewed competitively
3. Selected participants notified of acceptance
4. Cohorts begin at designated start dates

Application Details: Specific application materials not detailed in source document

Note: Program is expanding and AWC is actively applying for additional grant funds to grow the initiative