Kathryne Ogrod is #MadeForKnoxville.

As an economic developer, it’s Kathryne’s job to cultivate community in the name of local success. Her latest project, the Kitchen LinK, is no different — the business works to literally link together the culinary professionals and start ups in Knoxville. 

The Kitchen LinK provides a network for chefs, farmers, caterers, food trucks and others in the food and service industry to connect, allowing small foodie businesses to flourish and find support with one another. It’s Kathryne’s dream to cater her business to the 2000+ restaurants in Knoxville so that their endeavors, and our city, can thrive. 

“When small businesses are successful, the business economy becomes more stable. As a result, the community as a whole benefits. What better way to bring a community together than supporting our local culinary artists?”

In Their Own Words..

I have been working on this project for over 5 years. As a Tennessee Economic Developer, I look for ways to bring communities together and support the local business environment.

The Kitchen LinK is a membership driven business alliance focused on the food and service industry. It is no secret that Knoxville is a foodie town. With over 2,000 restaurants in Knoxville and hundreds of new food trucks making Knoxville their home, there is a need to bring these businesses together with the help of the community in order to build lasting business relationships. When small businesses are successful, the business economy becomes more stable. As a result, the community as a whole benefits. What better way to bring a community together than supporting our local culinary artists? It is the mission of The Kitchen LinK to improve business relationships with those in the food and service industry through more retail locations, distribution opportunities, and exposure to the community.

We are first starting with phase 1 which will include the building of the network to include local farmers, caterers, food trucks, chefs, and restaurants. Because we are building the network, membership for 2021 will be free. Phase 2 will be the creation of three Signature Public Events for members of this organization. These events are designed to allow the public to get to know the members in this network in fun and interactive ways. In addition to these signature events, there will be weekly public retail events which will allow for more one-on-one interactions. The Kitchen LinK will be investing in automated retail technology to assist members in selling their product directly to the consumer. Phase 3 will allow for the creation of a commercial kitchen in which members will be allowed to prepare and store foods on site. There are plans for an allergy free kitchen as well as a show kitchen created especially for food vloggers to showcase their talents virtually.

 

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