WMED Food Entrepreneur Trainings: Learning, Community, and Momentum

Food entrepreneurs in Holbrook, AZ receiving training and education

The food entrepreneur trainings delivered through the Northern Arizona Good Jobs Network (NAGJN), by the staff of White Mountain Economic Development, continue to generate strong engagement and meaningful outcomes for participants across Northern Arizona. These sessions are designed not only to build technical knowledge around food business startups and expansion, but also to foster a supportive peer network that encourages collaboration, confidence, and forward momentum. Participant feedback has consistently highlighted the practical value of the training, as well as the sense of community it creates among aspiring and growing entrepreneurs.

One recent class illustrated this impact in a particularly powerful way. A participant named Cody, a young chef currently working at two local restaurants, attended with the long-term goal of starting his own food business. During the session, he was encouraged to begin offering private chef services as a low-cost, low-risk way to enter entrepreneurship quickly. The discussion included the importance of forming an Arizona LLC—both to protect personal assets and to establish professional credibility—but Cody shared that even the modest $85 filing and processing fee was a financial stretch given his current circumstances.

In a spontaneous and deeply affirming moment, another participant, Martha, offered to cover the LLC fee for him. Martha is a young attorney who operates her own small food business producing and selling pralines, and she was attending the training to learn about interstate food business compliance and expansion. Her gesture exemplified the collaborative spirit these trainings are cultivating: experienced and emerging entrepreneurs supporting one another in tangible ways. This moment not only helped Cody take a concrete step toward launching his business, but also demonstrated the broader community-building impact of the NAGJN program—turning education into action and peers into partners.

Sign up for available WMED training classes here.