by Bob Benenson, FamilyFarmed

FamilyFarmed’s Good Food Accelerator is holding a fundraiser called Taste of the GFA on Thursday, October 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at 1871 Chicago. Learn more in the article below and visit the event site for more info and tickets.

Keep the evening of October 25 free, because you have the opportunity to meet amazing Good Food entrepreneurs, taste their delicious products, and sample bites from several of Chicago’s most creative restaurants — all while supporting the participants of FamilyFarmed’s high-impact Good Food Accelerator program.

Our 1st annual The Taste of GFA event is produced by the Accelerator’s recently established Associate Board, and comes with an easy-on-the-wallet price tag of $50. [Purchase tickets here.]

The Taste will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 1871 Chicago — a leading national center for entrepreneurial growth and innovation, and the site of the Good Food Accelerator’s intensive six-month curriculum. Having graduated 35 Fellows from its first four cohorts, the Accelerator is currently reviewing applications for coveted slots in the 2018-19 cohort, which will get under way at 1871 in early November.

The lineup of Accelerator grads and chefs who will provide tasty treats at Taste of the GFA is being finalized, but we hope we whet your appetite by announcing that Chefs Guy Meikle of Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar (located in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood) and Won Kim of Kimski (in Bridgeport neighborhood) will be cooking it up for the Accelerator.

Even better, they and other participating chefs will be incorporating ingredients produced by GFA alumni into their recipes.

Jim Slama, FamilyFarmed’s CEO and creator of the Good Food Accelerator (GFA), discussed the program’s successes at the GFA Application Celebration on Sept. 6. The event was held in the same space at 1871 Chicago that will host the Taste of the GFA fundraiser on Oct. 25. Photo: Bob Benenson/FamilyFarmed

So… a good night out. But why should you support the Good Food Accelerator? Here’s why.

The Good Food Accelerator gets emerging Good Food consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands ready for prime time, giving them the skills to scale up. The competitively selected Fellows are provided intensive coaching and resources, paired with industry-leading mentors and connected to potential customers and sources of funding.

GFA, when launched in 2014, was the nation’s first accelerator focused on building supply chains for sustainable local food. The program helps food entrepreneurs expand the production, marketing and distribution of locally and responsibly produced food, in order to enhance the social, economic and environmental health of our communities. It provides competitively selected fellows with coaching, mentoring, strategic support and access to resources and sources of capital, so they can thrive commercially and have a power ripple effect on the local economy, and beyond.

Rebecca Frabizio, who leads the Good Food Accelerator (GFA) as FamilyFarmed’s director of entrepreneurial programs, spoke to the audience at the GFA’s Application Celebration on Sept. 6. Photo: Bob Benenson/FamilyFarmed

How powerful? In just its first four years of operations, the Accelerator has helped facilitate more than $15 million in financing deals. Combined with our annual Good Food Financing & Innovation Conference, in which the Accelerator plays a central role, FamilyFarmed has now helped stimulate more than $80 million in financing deals.

For questions about the event, sponsorship opportunities or the Associate Board, please e-mail Board Chairman Adam Falkof at Adam.Falkof@quarles.com. For questions about the Accelerator, please e-mail Chelsea Callahan Huson at Chelsea@staging.dependable-jargon.flywheelsites.com.

Good Foodies, don’t miss The Taste of GFA. Tickets are on sale at the event website.