ST. LOUIS — "I grew up in the kitchen with my grandmother. I was just amazed as a child, and from that point on I wanted to do the same thing my grandmother did. It caused me to have a love for cooking food," said Nicole Gordon, the CEO of Victorious Kitchen, LLC.
The business specializes in charcuterie boards, catering, and private chef services.
"Birthday parties, weddings. We cook. We serve," Gordon said.
Nicole started her business in 2013, but it was The Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Harris-Stowe State University that helped her take her business to the next level.
"When I started taking the classes what I learned was I was doing business without knowing how to do business," she said.
She joined the MECCA Entrepreneurship Accelerator program which offers training and services to help participants develop their entrepreneurial skills as they work to grow their businesses.
Kristy Jackson is the executive director.
"We start by listening. We specifically start by creating a safe space where entrepreneurs can see themselves, and where their voices are heard. They can see the effects of the feedback they are giving us around the needs that they have to grow their business," Jackson said.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities like Harris-Stowe are critical to helping close gaps of disparity for under-served and under-represented communities and entrepreneurship is an important career pathway for these communities.
As for Nicole, you could say, she came out Victorious.
"My gift was bigger than I thought it was. Yes, I love to cook food, but it's beyond just cooking food. They showed me how to tap into my gift to be more creative with other things outside of just setting up a catering table," Gordon said.
For more information about The Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Harris-Stowe State University, click here.
For additional information about Victorious Kitchen LLC, give her a call at 314-387-3187 or follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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