Food Business Basics Training Program

The City of Cambridge Community Development Department (CDD) is launching a new program for Cambridge residents who have a passion for food and a dream of owning a business, but a lot of questions about combining the two.

The Economic Opportunity & Development Division of CDD is partnering with Prepshift to offer Food Business Basics, a training program that covers how to open a restaurant, food truck, or catering company. The training includes six courses and one optional exam training.  Most classes will be on Zoom and will cover these topics:

• Picking a product or menu focus
• Developing a plan for your product or menu
• Learning about finances and how to organize bills
• Hiring employees or getting help
• Marketing and telling the story of the business

Graduates from Food Business Basics will leave with:

• A personal checklist of “to-do” items.
• A network of new friends who are also trying to open a food business.
• A better idea of where to find resources for their business.
• A chance to take a free ServSafe exam.

Residents who are interested should complete the online application. Space is limited. City staff may follow up with more questions by email or by phone. Residents can also schedule a 15-minute meeting with Prepshift to learn more before applying. Deadline to apply is Friday, March 1, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. EST. 

The course will start in late March/early April 2024 with exact dates scheduled soon.

The Food Business Basics course is the newest resource in the CDD Food Business Incubator Program, a collection of low-, or no-cost, opportunities to help Cambridge food entrepreneurs strengthen and grow their business. The Food Business Incubator Program includes the Cambridge Food Truck Program, resources related to the Cottage Food Operations Permit, and specialty workshops on timely topics.

Prepshift makes restaurants work for everyone by empowering operators to grow their businesses sustainably. Their comprehensive coaching and technical assistance offerings leverage first-hand experience, financial education, and proven management best practices to help teams achieve their goals. They deliver content through workshops, staff training, boot camps, and 1:1 consulting engagements in English and Spanish. They have partnered with CDD on past workshops covering menu planning and green practices for restaurants.

For more information

Contact Christina DiLisio at 617/347-4601 or cdilisio@cambridgema.gov with questions.