IRC helps businesses survive the pandemic
Sami Roe, small business specialist at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City, works to propel small businesses towards success. By leveraging funding and loans, Sami helps entrepreneurs scale up their businesses. Working alongside them, he finds resources so that owners have direction when they run into roadblocks.
Now that the pandemic has upset many businesses, Sami’s job shifted gears toward relief assistance. Especially where language barriers exist, Sami’s work remains vital. Many shops and restaurants could evaporate simply because they do not have the language resources they need to save themselves. For the owners of the popular micro-restaurant, Laan Na Thai, in downtown Salt Lake, this especially posed a dilemma. “They’re an older generation paired with a language barrier,” Sami explained. While language barriers present their own challenges, the loans themselves “open and close that fast,” according to Sami.
Spice Receives Salt Lake Magazine's Blue Plate Award
Although we were heartbroken that our annual Blue Plate Awards were canceled due to COVID-19, we thought now (more than ever) was the perfect time to share our winners and pay respect and gratitude to them. We are celebrating local restaurants, food shops, bakeries and growers who take giving seriously.
Volunteer Opportunity - Spice Kitchen Community Food Box Volunteer
Title: Spice Kitchen Community Food Box Volunteer
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Start Date: June 2020
This volunteer’s role is to provide logistical support for the newest initiative, the Community Food Box delivery service. Through this program, we provide the community with an opportunity to pre-order frozen and ready-to-heat meals, appetizers, and desserts from a number of participating entrepreneurs for contactless delivery on Tuesday evenings. Each week we require at least 6 volunteers to help us pick up and deliver boxes around the Salt Lake City area.
Employment Opportunity - Spice Kitchen Summer Associate AmeriCorps VISTA
Title: Spice Kitchen Summer Associate AmeriCorps VISTA
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Start Date: June 2020
This position will focus on liaising market access by increasing program and entrepreneur capacity at various seasonal events while also researching and developing guides to scale businesses into new market avenues such as packaged products, online catering platforms, boxed lunch delivery, and café and storefront opportunities.
Spice Kitchen supports with small business emergency loans
As soon as Salt Lake City Mayor Mendenhall’s 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.
Employment Opportunity - Spice Kitchen Catering and Events Intern
Title: Spice Kitchen Catering and Events Intern
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Start Date: May 2020
The Catering and Events Intern will assist Spice Kitchen Incubator businesses during their time at special events, and will work with the Retail and Events Specialist to plan and carry out catering events for Spice Kitchen customers.
Employment Opportunity - Spice Kitchen Development Intern
Title: Spice Kitchen Development Intern
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Start Date: May 2020
The Development Intern will support the International Rescue Committee in Salt Lake City’s Spice Kitchen Incubator program, a food business incubator program supporting new American and low-to-moderate income entrepreneurs. The intern will assist in planning and implementing Spice Kitchen’s 2020 Development Plan, including the addition of numerous community and donor engagement events and activities, fundraisers, and logistics of launching the upcoming Café and Storefront.
Employment Opportunity - Spice Kitchen Business Operations & Development Intern
Title: Spice Kitchen Business Operations & Development Intern
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Start Date: May 2020
The ultimate objective of this position is creating more opportunities for Spice Kitchen Incubator entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and better provide for themselves and their families. It involves providing business operations assistance and guidance.