by: Shon Wylie
Chef Space, a West Louisville kitchen incubator supported by nonprofit Community Ventures, has announced the winners of the 2025 Kroger Local Food Entrepreneurship Scholarship program. Now in its second year, the initiative is aimed at identifying and uplifting the best emerging local food artisans, product makers and consumer packaged goods producers. This year, a total of 30 culinary entrepreneurs vied to earn the four scholarships, and the chance to fast-track the building of a thriving food business.
“We are exceedingly grateful to Kroger for this exciting opportunity to jump-start businesses launching from Chef Space,” said Tom Murro, President of Chef Space. “The Kroger Scholarship program shines a spotlight on the talented and innovative culinary entrepreneurs getting their start with us. Without the partnerships and generous funding from organizations such as Kroger, we could not serve our mission in the same scope and capacity. We look forward to continued partnerships that enable Chef Space to make positive impacts for small business owners and our Russell and neighboring communities more robust and vibrant.”
The 2025 Kroger Scholarship winners are:
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Andrea Wells earned a degree in chemistry from Howard University, balancing her work in the biochemistry genetics lab during the day with a waitressing job at night. With a passion for math, science, community and the environment, she started Wells Made small batch artisan seed and nut butters to help a little girl suffering from serious food allergies.
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Justin Young, NJ’s Bakehouse Sugar Cloud Cookies. Justin, a full-time public school PE teacher, along with his wife Chelsie, embarked on a journey to make her pillowy, melt-in-your-mouth cookies accessible to all.
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Lasiquisha Tumblin, Orleans Authentic Cajun Cuisine. Tumblin, who has been in the kitchen from an early age and says cooking is her first language, set out to allow the world to experience her unique brand of Cajun cooking.
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Lorna Edwards, Lorna’s REALLY Good Lemonade. Following retirement from a rewarding career in the public school system, Edwards decided her second career would involve bringing her high-quality, all-natural lemonades to market.
Businesses were judged on criteria in multiple categories, including business type, description and photography of products as well as branding presentation.
As part of the prize package, Kroger will provide each winner nine months of full-time access to Chef Space’s state-of the-art commercial kitchen, along with direct access to Kroger merchandising teams to expedite the process of getting the winning businesses’ food and products on Kroger shelves. Additionally, each business owner will be invited to attend this summer’s Kroger Local Food Show.
“At Kroger, we know that small business and a diverse supply chain strengthens our business, improves our customer experience and supports our communities,” said Kroger Spokesperson Jessica Sharp. “We’re committed to building an inclusive, equitable and sustainable supply chain that enables local entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and provide customers with the foods they crave.”
To learn how Chef Space can help you launch or grow your own culinary business, click here. For more information on Community Ventures, visit https://www.cvky.org or call (859) 231-0054.
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About Chef Space: Chef Space, supported by non-profit Community Ventures, is Louisville’s first kitchen incubator dedicated to assisting emerging food industry entrepreneurs with the space, expertise, and capital necessary to launch their ideas.
About Community Ventures: Founded in 1982 as a community-based, non-profit organization, Community Ventures (CV) strengthens communities and improves the overall quality of life for Kentuckians by supporting job creation, small business ownership, and home ownership. CV is headquartered in Lexington with branch locations in Bowling Green, Campbellsville, Louisville, Mayfield, Millersburg, and Owensboro. For 21 consecutive years, CV has been named Microlender of the Year by the Kentucky Small Business Administration.
About The Kroger Co., Louisville Division
At The Kroger Co., Louisville Division (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit™. We are 116 stores across Kentucky, Southern Indiana and Southern Illinois with 19,000 associates who serve over 2 million customers weekly through a seamless digital shopping experience and retail food stores, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.