In motion photo of Spice Kitchen chefs preparing meals in a kitchen.
While apart, Spice Kitchen Incubator staff and the entrepreneurs they serve have been fighting to pump life back into their businesses during mandated closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo: Austen Diamond

On March 18th, the Salt Lake City Mayor鈥檚 Office announced an emergency loan program designed to give relief to small businesses in response to the sudden drop in revenue caused by COVID-19. After the Salt Lake City Council approved Mayor Erin Mendenhall鈥檚 request to release $1,000,000 in funding, small, local businesses seeking economic relief had access to 0%-interest loans.

The pandemic hit the food and beverage industry hard. Many businesses watched daily operations grind to a complete halt due to restrictions on sit-in dining and large gatherings. Entrepreneurs working with our program received cancellations for catering events, faced restrictions on normal brick-and-mortar restaurant operations, and food truck-based businesses lost access to vending locations. As a direct result of the pandemic, Spice Kitchen entrepreneurs lost thousands in profits, including future market opportunities. 

Suha and Mayyadah pose in chef's coats for a picture.
Suha and Mayyadah, owners and operators of Zaater & Zayton, successfully submitted their application and received an emergency loan to cover their small business expenses.
Photo: Billy Yang

As soon as Mayor Mendenhall鈥檚 Emergency Loan Program launched, the Spice Kitchen team started contacting small business owners in the program. They ensured every entrepreneur who qualified for the loan received the help they needed to complete their loan applications. On Monday, March 23rd, it was an all-hands-on-deck effort. The team spent the day working quickly with numerous entrepreneur clients to gather documents and prepare applications. Just hours before the midnight deadline, the Spice Kitchen team completed 14 applications for entrepreneurs seeking a total of $229,500 in aid to keep their businesses and livelihoods afloat during these uncertain times. So far, two applications have been approved, for a total of $40,000 in aid. 

Spice Kitchen remains committed to connecting our entrepreneurs with as many economic relief efforts as possible over the coming months. You can directly support small business owners participating in the Spice Kitchen Incubator program by purchasing gift cards, ordering food to go, or donating to help them meet their individual GoFundMe goals.

Plus, if you like to support local small businesses and love delicious food, there鈥檚 a great way you can join us in supporting Spice entrepreneurs. In less than two weeks, Spice Kitchen staff launched a virtual storefront where you can order a weekly Food Box delivered right to your door. Supplies are limited each week, so sign up to receive updates today.

Want to do more to support Spice Kitchen entrepreneurs? Email the Spice Kitchen team at [email protected] to learn more.