LOUISVILLE KY. (March 4, 2025) – The U.S. Bank Foundation has awarded a $10,000 Community Possible Grant to Community Ventures. These funds will support Chef Space, a Community Ventures kitchen incubator, in providing culinary entrepreneurs access to affordable commercial kitchen space, storage, capital, and training to successfully launch and sustain their businesses.
“Since 2015, Chef Space has been helping culinary entrepreneurs realize their business dreams,” said Tom Murro, president of Chef Space. “We are grateful to the U.S. Bank Foundation for seeing and supporting underserved entrepreneurs within the food industry; we couldn’t do what we do without their help.”
With these funds, Community Ventures will continue to operate Chef Space, a food accelerator supporting culinary entrepreneurs in a state-of-the-art 13,556 sq ft. commercial kitchen. These efforts will create at least 25 part-time and full-time jobs, contributing to Louisville’s economic growth and stability.
Chef Space is committed to equipping aspiring culinary entrepreneurs with the skills, resources, and support needed to build and grow their own food businesses. Entrepreneurs like Evonne Jeffries, owner of Mom and Me Treats, are turning their dreams into reality. Inspired by her grandmother’s tradition of crafting delicious treats, Jeffries started by selling peanut brittle as a church fundraiser. With the guidance and resources from Chef Space, she has expanded her business from a small passion project to a sought-after brand, now featured on the shelves of Kroger and Value Market.
Lake Langdon, owner of Marinations Catering, has built his business and menu around the philosophy of serving “food for the soul.” More than just a kitchen, Chef Space has provided him with a supportive community that has helped him grow—not only as a business owner but as a leader. Langdon credits his time at Chef Space with strengthening his self-discipline and sharpening his decision-making skills. With ambitious plans for the future, he envisions expanding Marinations Catering into a franchise, and with Chef Space’s guidance, he is turning that vision into reality.
To learn more about Chef Space, visit chefspace.org or contact Chef Space President Tom Murro at tom.murro@cvky.org
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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. Since it opened the 13,556-square-foot facility in 2015, Chef Space has created 400 jobs, helped entrepreneurs launch over 65 food-related ventures, and graduated 12 businesses to brick-and-mortar locations in Louisville.
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.