CINCINNATI — Bri’Ana Heard has become a fixture at Findlay Market over the past two years. So have fans of the pound cake she sells there.
Anyone visiting the Over-the-Rhine landmark on Sunday is sure to see her selling her beloved Miley Pooh Sweets pastries.
What You Need To Know
- Findlay Kitchen is holding its annual tasting event on Sunday
- The ticketed event features offerings from a handful of the roughly 200 food businesses that have gone through the program since 2016
- Findlay Kitchen offers commercial cooking spaces, resources and education to young food businesses
Heard, a self-described “home baker,” started the business two years after the sudden death of her brother, D’Mile Cunningham. One of her specialties is pineapple upside down cake, her brother’s favorite. She refers to those early days as “culinary therapy.”
While she never meant to start a business, Heard knew she had something special from the beginning. Friends and family devoured her sweet treats, she recalled. Her pastry case was empty most days whenever she’d set up at a community show.
Despite feeling she had a special product, she knew nothing about business. She baked in the kitchen at her house and didn’t have any marketing experience. Business plan? She never made one.
That all changed when she learned about Findlay Kitchen. It’s a nonprofit incubator and resource center for young and developing food entrepreneurs.
Heard has been a part of the program, operated by the Corporation for Findlay Market, for the past year. And on Sunday, she’ll be one of 18 current or former members taking part in the annual Findlay Kitchen Tasting Event.
The ticketed event is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Food items range from jerk chicken and cheese arepa to Heard’s pineapple cake babies.
There will also be live music, and guests can buy draft beer and specialty cocktails at the market.
“We can’t wait to show off how far we’ve all come as businesses,” Heard said.
More than just a commercial kitchen
Founded in 2016, Findlay Kitchen supports chefs, pastry artists and other food entrepreneurs looking to start, grow and scale their businesses. The nearly 8,000-square-foot space on Elm Street provides affordable, 24-hour access to 14 licensed commercial kitchens. It features commercial-grade kitchen equipment and ample storage space.
Since opening, the nonprofit has incubated more than 200 businesses. That includes more than 60 active members. Many of those businesses operate as Findlay Market vendors. But not all of them choose to go that route. Over 40 are in standalone storefronts elsewhere in greater Cincinnati.
Passion Plate owner Kymberly Wilbon, for example, is a private chef who creates personalized meals for each client, the Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds and the Xavier men’s basketball team. Though she has been a longtime Findlay Kitchen member, this is the first time that she’s taking part.
On Sunday, she’s serving a menu of cornbread, braised greens and cha cha, a relish typically made with a mix of green tomato, cabbage, onions and peppers.
Tickets are five for $10 or 12 for $20. Sales end Saturday, April 22, at noon.
Bri’Ana Heard owns Miley Pooh Sweets. (Photo courtesy of Miley Pooh Sweets)
There’s a list of vendors below.
“We’re showcasing the talents and stories of our Findlay Kitchen members and alumni, while also providing an opportunity for our guests to try a variety of amazing food,” said Kelly Lanser, communications director for the Corporation for Findlay Market.
Heard got started with Findlay Kitchen shortly after finishing all the paperwork needed to start her business officially. One of her steps was to join some of the food education programs run by the incubator.
Over the years, Findlay Kitchen partners with outside programs and organizations for help with training, mentorship and a suite of wraparound services focused on business growth. Some are free, while other programs have a cost. Findlay Kitchen has provided more than 1,200 hours of scholarships to member businesses.
Heard’s first program, Findlay Learn, dealt with everything from product sourcing and advertising to scaling a business effectively.
Prior to Findlay Kitchen, Heard had never been in a commercial kitchen.
The mission-driven food incubator places a special emphasis on cultivating BIPOC, women and immigrant-owned businesses. Those groups make up 90% of Findlay Kitchen members.
“I never felt like I was doing this by myself,” said Heard. “There’s always someone to call and bounce an idea off, and sometimes when I was down on myself, they were my biggest cheerleaders.”
Even with Findlay Kitchen staff available almost around the clock, being a small business can still be lonely, said Heard, a mother. She’s often relied on other business owners to get through difficult times.
“Sometimes that meant washing a pot or taking something out of the oven when I was busy,” she added. “Other times it just meant being able to talk to someone about what was going on.”
The food business is more than just what’s on the plate
Alex Nager joined Findlay Kitchen to help grow and scale Harmony Plant Fare, his plant-based deli at Findlay Market. He sells salads, groceries, sandwiches and a mix of products sourced from other local small businesses or made in-house. On Sunday, he’s serving tomato soup and grilled cheese squares.
Nager is a veteran of the local food scene. When he switched to a plant-based diet, though, he noticed himself spending a lot of time creating hot sauces and mixes.
“At one point, I just went, ‘Hey, it would be nice if some of this was a little more convenient’ and I was sure others could relate to that,” he said. “So, I started looking into some farmers’ markets and doing other things.”
A sample of the food served at Harmony Plant Fare at Findlay Market. (Harmony Plant Fare)
Harmony Plant Fare started as a pop-up before growing into a full booth in 2019.
The food part of the business came easily, Nager said. “I knew how to make food taste good and how to make it look pretty.”
The challenge? The business itself. He credited the Findlay Kitchen team with teaching him the ins and outs of “a little the little behind-the-scenes administrative stuff you don’t always think about.”
“It gave me the building blocks to feel confident I was doing do things the right way,” he added.
While the training was important, the space was just as big. Even though he’s got a prep space in his stall at Findlay Market, he still relies on the Findlay Kitchen facilities for some of the “heavy lifting.” He mentioned a catering job a few years ago that required cooking Thanksgiving feasts for 35 to 40.
Special events always attract large audiences and new prospective diners to Findlay, Nager said. He called Sunday an enormous opportunity for the vendors and Findlay Kitchen. He wanted to highlight all the incredible programming and staff members who have made the nonprofit what it’s been for the past seven years.
While not the focus of the event, Sunday’s event is also a fundraiser of sorts for Findlay Kitchen. One thing the kitchen needs is a new 12 full-sheet bakery oven — a $50,000 piece of equipment. The last one was lost of mechanical failure, Lanser said, and the lack of the oven is putting a strain on some of the other ovens.
All donations up to $15,000 will be matched by an anonymous donor, according to the Corporation for Findlay Market.
Those interested in supporting the Findlay Kitchen Oven Fundraiser can do so online or in person at the table on the Elm Street Esplanade.
“We couldn’t have done it without Findlay Kitchen. Now, it’s about us all doing our part to support that next generation of food entrepreneurs,” Nager said.
Participating Businesses
The Arepa Place: Mini cheese arepa
Babushka Pierogi: Potato caramelized onion pierogi with sour cream
BanaSun Smoothie Bar: Sunny Smoothie
Chamaele LLC: Honey straws
Chico’s Cheesecakes: Cheesecake squares and cheesecake brownies
Dat’s Ole School Cookin’: Baked rice pudding or a fried/baked chicken wing
Flavors of the Isle: Jerk chicken
Harmony Plant Fare: Creamy tomato soup with grilled cheese bites
Honey Child Artisan Pops: Blueberry or lime mini pop
MaiRo & Co: Dog treat sample bag including a mini donut, a mini cookie a grain-free “Woofy Stick”
Makers Bakers Co.: Cinnamon roll bites
Miley Pooh Sweets: Pineapple cake babies or lemon crunch pound cake
Olive Tree Catering: Harissa (semolina cake with pistachio and cashew)
PAKTLI: An assortment of puffed grain snacks
The Passion Plate: Cornbread, braised greens and cha cha
The Rhined: Perfect Bite cheese pairing
Southern Grace: Dry rub wings and mac and cheese
Sunshine Caramel Co.: Sea salt and hot-buttered rum caramels
