Kismet Douglass moves around the kitchen with the confidence of a seasoned chef.
“You can have cheese in there if you want, or like, I have the onion chutney or tomato chutney,” Douglass said as she prepared a dish on Thursday afternoon.
The self-taught food entrepreneur feeds her curiosity through TV shows, books and through local programs, like getting connected to CitySeed.
“It really is about the relationships,” Douglass said. “CitySeed has helped me get myself out there into the community.”
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Douglass and her business “Mama Kiss Kitchen Cuisine” is making a mark across New Haven, and that’s the goal of CitySeed: to build up early-stage foodies, particularly women of color.
“They have amazing products that come from their lineage, that come from their creative juices, and I just want to do anything I can to support that,” Cara Santino, CitySeed’s director of food entrepreneurship, said.
CitySeed was awarded an NBCUniversal Local Impact Grant to support culinary talent.
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The money gave people like Douglass the chance to grow through their Food Business Accelerator Program, find spaces to sharpen their skills and reduce financial barriers.
“A first-time catering license is $650, which comes at a very, very high cost for early stage entrepreneurs who have all of those expenses up front,” Santino said.
Douglass said CitySeed has helped her establish a network through food, from building confidence all the way to serving up her creative dishes at events throughout the city.
But it’s not just about growing her business. The people she meets are her reward.
“It makes me feel really good when someone enjoys my meal more than anything," Douglass said.
There's $227,000 available in NBCUniversal Local Impact grants this year. You can find more information here.
