Summer of Local Tour
Celebrating Local, Health-focused, Black- and Woman-Owned Small Businesses
This summer, participating University of Maryland Medical System hospital member organizations are taking part in the ‘Summer of Local Tour’ featuring small, Maryland-based food businesses rotating through and taking over the cafeteria hot bar for an afternoon.
Meet our featured small business owners and read more below!
Chauncey's
Melanie Kerr
Scratch-Made, Flavorful Dishes
@eatmorechaunceys
eatmorechaunceys.com
Humble Hearts Catering & Events
Alicia Boyd
Savory, Stylish Culinary Experiences
humbleheartsevents.com
@hhcateringandevents
Farm to Temple
Raven Temple
Fresh & Healthy Meals
farmtotemple.com
@farmtotemple
Appeal Caterers
Alex Hall
Farm-Fresh, "Soil to Table” Cuisine
appealcaterers.com
@appealcaterers
Modern Stone Age Kitchen
Bill & Christina Schindler
Ancestral Recipes, Modern Health
modernstoneage.com
@themodernstoneage
Kora Lee's Comfort Food Cafe & Bakery
Kora Polydore
Comfort Food & Baked Goods
koralees.com
@koraleescafe
Eat Local & Invest in Your Community
Thanks to funding supplied by UMMS through community impact grants in partnership with Baltimore Community Lending, Cureate is able to offer free training and technical assistance to local food business leaders across the state of Maryland.
As Summer 2025, Cureate has graduated over 70 businesses — with more than 50% being woman-owned businesses and 35%+ black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC)-owned— through our business education program, Cureate Courses, in Maryland alone.
With a shared goal of empowering local communities and creating a sustainable and inclusive supply chain, the integration of recent Cureate Courses graduates across UMMS cafeterias system-wide is one example of how Cureate and UMMS are supporting our local communities.
Cureate’s is reshaping what local-forward economic development can look like through our educational programming, Cureate Courses, and our local procurement platform, Cureate Connect.
Learn more below!
Hi! We’re Cureate
What is Cureate Courses?
Cureate Courses is a 10-week food & beverage entrepreneurship education program. By empowering small businesses to connect, grow, and innovate, we are building more resilient and diverse local supplier networks throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Heartland, generating economic impact in our local communities.
By joining the Cureate community, entrepreneurs gain access to expert knowledge and new market opportunities.
Who is Cureate?
Cureate is a woman-owned, food tech company offering education for farm, food, and beverage entrepreneurs, as well as local product procurement for institutional foodservice, and consulting services for city and economic development departments.
Learn more, say hello, and join our community of people who are passionate about their food and where it comes from!