Three Black women in Dayton, OH, are on a mission to uplift local food entrepreneurs. Jamaica White, Dabriah Rice, and Charlynda Scales celebrated the soft opening of their long-awaited 6888 (pronounced “six triple eight”) Kitchen Incubator Project in March 2024.
This initiative aims to provide critical support for under-resourced food entrepreneurs through a commercial kitchen, training, and business services, including ingredient sourcing, marketing, distribution, and access to capital.
The 6888 Kitchen Incubator Project, an extension of their nonprofit organization OH Taste Foundation, emerged as a response to the challenges faced by aspiring food business owners during the pandemic.
Rice, the executive kitchen manager, noted the lack of space and resources as significant barriers for these entrepreneurs, particularly women and people of color.
“We’ve been working on this for four and a half years now, and we’re just excited to be able to open up this project and offer these resources to our food entrepreneurs here in the Dayton area,” Rice told the Dayton Daily News.
Currently, the incubator supports eight businesses, including N’Dulge Luxe Treat Boutique, Passion to the Plate, and CheezCake Lab.
With plans to assist over 50 entrepreneurs annually, the founders have applied for $4.1 million in Priority Development & Advocacy Committee (PDAC) funds and have secured $4.4 million towards their $9 million goal, including $1.3 million in federal funding.
“This funding will expand 6888’s capacity to serve 50+ entrepreneurs annually. The additional resources will empower even more Daytonians to achieve their dreams of business ownership. The result is job creation, neighborhood revitalization, and a vibrant local food economy,” Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims stated in support of the project.
Looking forward, White, Rice, and Scales plan to expand their retail section, integrate a ghost kitchen, and add classrooms for in-person and virtual learning. “We aren’t just building a kitchen. We are truly building a legacy,” Scales shared.
The 6888 Kitchen Incubator Project is bringing hope and opportunity, fostering growth and sustainability for Dayton’s food entrepreneurs!
