Culinary Conversations: Female Food Industry Leaders

Join Culinary Conversations on Wednesday March 9, as we celebrate International Women's Day (March 8) and Women’s History Month, by bringing you the stories and insights of four accomplished West Michigan female food industry leaders!

Speakers:
Mallory Squibb, Squibb Coffee + Wine Bar
Mallory Squibb began her food and hospitality journey after graduating from the University of Michigan and falling in love with coffee, wine, and food. She moved back to Grand Rapids to start Squibb Coffee & Wine Bar in 2016, expanding to her third location in the Downtown Market recently.

Chef Tressa Johnson, Fulton Street Pub
Tressa Johnson is a 29 year old chef born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Over her 13 years of experience, Chef Tressa has specialized in vegetarian cooking and is currently the sous chef of Fulton Street Pub and Grill, serving from-scratch vegan and traditional pub fare.

Marisela Sierra, Navarro’s
Marisela Sierra is the third generation owner of family-owned Navarro’s, a small Mexican take-out restaurant located in Muskegon Heights that specializes in stone-ground corn tamales. She is proud to own and operate a woman and minority led business, continuing to grow her mother's legacy.

Kalene McElveen, Tastefull Vegan Desserts
Kalene McElveen has spent over 20 years working with individuals to embrace healthy eating and live healthy lifestyles. Along with being the owner of Tastefull, (allergen free, non-dairy desserts) Kalene is also a published cookbook author and social media influencer.

Moderated by:
Chef Jenn Struik, Root Functional Medicine
Chef and Dietitian, Jenn Struik has worked for several local and nationally-known food companies as a media consultant and recipe developer. Chef Jenn is the Executive Chef for Root Farmacy, Personal Chef for her brand Jenny with the Good Eats, and an adjunct instructor for the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education.

By registering for Culinary Conversations events, you permit the use of your image (including, but not limited to photographs, audio recordings, or videos), without charge and without reservation—all or a portion of your story, likeness, and voice in future Downtown Market promotion.

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The Culinary Conversations MeetUp group is a partnership between the Grand Rapids Downtown Market Education Foundation, GROW, MSU Extension, and Start Garden.