Meet Chattanooga’s Kitchen Incubator Entrepreneurs

A feature story in Chattanooga Trend shines a spotlight on the vibrant community growing inside the Kitchen Incubator of Chattanooga (KIC) — a 10,000-square-foot shared commercial kitchen that’s helping transform Chattanooga’s food landscape.

Powered by the nonprofit LAUNCH, the Kitchen Incubator provides affordable, fully equipped production space and business support for food-based entrepreneurs — including caterers, bakers, food truck owners, and consumer packaged goods (CPG) producers. The facility includes five CPG pods, six bakery stations, eight commercial kitchen stations, a food truck commissary, and ample cold, dry, and frozen storage.

The article profiles several KIC entrepreneurs who represent the heart of this growing movement:

• Stephanie Steiman, founder of Chei-Man Tea, turned her signature chai latte recipe into an award-winning beverage business and mobile sober bar. After facing challenges during the pandemic, she moved operations into KIC, where her products now reach over 40 stores and cafés across the region.
• Chef Terence Locke, founder of Chef Express, grew from cooking meals at home into running a full-service catering company and food truck. His time at KIC gave him access to larger capacity, licensing support, and a professional kitchen environment to expand his impact. Locke also leads the Pots and Tots youth program, using food education to inspire the next generation.
• James “Pat” Rowe, owner of BBQ Rowe, transformed his love of smoked meats into one of Chattanooga’s most popular food and catering brands. As a KIC manager, he now mentors other entrepreneurs in branding, marketing, and operations while serving up his signature stuffed turkey legs and barbecue favorites.

Under the leadership of Mark Holland, Director of the Kitchen Incubator of Chattanooga, the facility has built a collaborative and inclusive culture that breaks down barriers to entry in the food industry. More than half of the KIC businesses are Black-owned and 65% are women-owned, aligning with LAUNCH’s mission to empower underrepresented entrepreneurs.

During the pandemic, KIC also played a vital community role through LAUNCH’s Provisions Project, producing and delivering nearly 80,000 meals to seniors and food-insecure residents while keeping local small businesses working.

Now home to more than 20 active entrepreneurs and expanding to support 40, the Kitchen Incubator continues to be a cornerstone for Chattanooga’s growing food economy. Its Food Truck Fridays and community events have become local favorites — showcasing the talent, creativity, and cultural diversity of the city’s emerging food scene.

As Holland shared, “We want Chattanooga to become a destination for food entrepreneurs — a place where small businesses can start, grow, and succeed together.”

👉 Read the full article on Chattanooga Trend: Meet Chattanooga’s Kitchen Incubator Entrepreneurs

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