Owners of Windsor’s first Chinese herbal medicine store are making an investment in the city’s culinary future by offering to pay season-long rent at the Downtown Farmer’s Market for up to 10 local foodpreneurs.
In launching Food Ventures, Steven Cheung, owner of Cheung’s Trading Co., is hoping to spark interest in local foods, healthy and holistic living and food sustainability by paying vendor rents as well as chipping in with a range of additional resources and incentives to help people come up with creative and nutritious food items to sell at the market.
“I was a vendor this past summer and a number of people told me they’d be interested but for some people they found the cost prohibitive,” said Cheung. “So I decided to see what I could do to make it more accessible for other vendors.
“I have an established business and I want to become more involved with the local food movement,” said Cheung. “I see this as a good opportunity for myself and for those people who have something to add to help make Windsor a culinary destination.”
Cheung said Food Ventures is also about finding undiscovered talents to who can put Windsor on the map for great food.
Last summer, vendor rates for a 20-week season ranged from $450 to $550 with lower rates for shorter periods.
To be considered for the program, applicants are asked to email a short bio entitled Food Ventures 2014 to steven@cheungstrading.com by Jan. 26.
Candidates should include information about cooking background, what kind of food items would be included and why they would do well in this marketplace.
Eligible candidates must be legal residents of Canada and over the age of 19.
Founded in 1985, Cheung’s was Windsor’s first Chinese herbal medicine retail store and is now the largest in Ontario.
It’s located at 2030 Wyandotte St. W.