Cullen Gilchrist: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|American restauranterrestaurateur, economist and entrepreneur}}

'''Cullen Gilchrist''' is an American [[Restaurateur|restauranterrestaurateur]], economist and entrepreneur. He is the chief executive officer and co-founder of Union Kitchen, an accelerator of food businesses.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Susan |title=Union Kitchen mixes good food with smart business |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/11/23/union-kitchen-entrepreneur-of-the-year-finalist/18605711/ |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=USA TODAYToday |language=en-US}}</ref>

Cullen obtained his high school diploma from [[Dartmouth High School (Massachusetts)|Dartmouth highHigh schoolSchool]] in 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cullen Gilchrist – CEO and Founder at Union Kitchen |url=https://theorg.com/org/union-kitchen/org-chart/cullen-gilchrist |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=THE ORG |language=en}}</ref> He attended [[Dartmouth College]] and earned a degree in [[Economics & Sociology|Economics and Sociology]] in 2007.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Nolan |first=Cornell |title=Cullen Gilchrist |url=https://sha.cornell.edu/people/cullen-gilchrist/ |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=Cornell Nolan |language=en-US}}</ref> After graduating, he began his career as an intern in finance before switching to food business.<ref>{{Cite web |last=idolloff |date=2018-09-25 |title=Cullen Gilchrist |url=https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/bio/cullen-gilchrist |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-09-30 |title=Cullen Gilchrist – The Next Willy Wonka... Building and Scaling Food Businesses |url=https://www.thefoundersmind.com/episodes/cullen-gilchrist |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=The Founder's Mind |language=en-US}}</ref>

Cullen worked as a [[general manager]] and Area Food Safety Manager at [[Sodexo]] in Boston.<ref>{{Cite webmagazine |date=2020-10-21 |title=Expert Insights: Quick Tips on Food Entrepreneurship from Cullen Gilchrist, CEO and Founder of Union Kitchen |url=https://lifeforentrepreneurs.org/stories-1/2020/10/13/expert-insights-quick-tips-on-food-entrepreneurship-from-union-kitchens-cullen-gilchrist |access-date=2023-10-16 |websitemagazine=LIFELife |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2010, he relocated to [[Washington, D.C.|Washington D.C.]] and worked at Think Food Group as a manager. In 2012, Cullen and Jonas Singer co-founded a [[Pop-up retail|pop up]] coffee shop called Blind Dog Cafe on Florida Avenue.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-05-17 |title=Seven game-changers who will transform the Washington scene in 2014 |language=en-US |worknewspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/seven-game-changers-who-will-transform-the-washington-scene-in-2014/2014/01/09/203136ce-7266-11e3-9389-09ef9944065e_story.html |access-date=2023-10-16 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-12-31 |title=Meet Cullen Gilchrist and take a tour of Union Kitchen's culinary accelerator |url=https://www.watchtastemakers.com/204-union-kitchen/2019/12/31/8clu13p7c2aij8b2gqtb62ue0qchqo |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=tasteMAKERS |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2023, he was a speaker at the Good Business Summit<ref>{{Cite web |title=Speakers – |publisher=Good Business Summit |url=https://goodbusinesssummit.org/speakers/ |access-date=2023-10-16 |language=en-US}}</ref> and was part of ''Entrepreneurs in Residence'' 2023 held by [[The Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship|Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nolan |first=Cornell |title=Entrepreneurs in Residence |url=https://sha.cornell.edu/faculty-research/centers-institutes/pihe/engagement/entrepreneurs-in-residence/ |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=Cornell Nolan |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2012, Cullen co-founded Union Kitchen to partner with food businesses and link the founders of the businesses with resources, capital, and networks needed to grow their businesses.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carolan |first=Michael S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WeFdDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA156&lpg=PA156&dq=cullen+gilchrist&sourcepg=bl&ots=R9YGgkrKhR&sig=ACfU3U2hRF1d0XTgA99HJdSbAxaqZ-C6fw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwidy-27jvuBAxUSzQIHHZjUBik4MhDoAXoECAMQAw#v=onepage&q=cullen%20gilchrist&f=falsePA156 |title=The Food Sharing Revolution: How Start-Ups, Pop-Ups, and Co-Ops are Changing the Way We Eat |date=2018-11-15 |publisher=Island Press |isbn=978-1-61091-886-2 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=How did Union Kitchen get started? Hear from founder Cullen Gilchrist on the incubator's origins. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQkT3fjcuvA |access-date=2023-10-16 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rothenberg |first=Pamela |date=2016-06-20 |title=Union Kitchen: A Case Study On The Best Legal Structure For Local Businesses Looking To Go National |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/groupthink/2016/06/20/union-kitchen-a-case-study-on-the-best-legal-structure-for-local-businesses-looking-to-go-national/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> The company started in a 7,300-square-foot space shared commercial cooking space in a Northeast Washington warehouse.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ravindranath |first=Mohana |date=2023-05-18 |title=Union Kitchen: A cooking space for start-ups |language=en-US |worknewspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/union-kitchen-a-cooking-space-for-start-ups/2013/04/26/9302b8e0-adc1-11e2-a986-eec837b1888b_story.html |access-date=2023-10-16 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Rebecca |title=Union Kitchen food incubator to shutter one of its locations |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/05/09/union-kitchen-food-incubator-to-shutter-one-of.html |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=www.bizjournals.comThe Business Journals}}</ref> The company introduced a food business acceleration process. The accelerator is built out into four phases; Launch, Product Market Fit, Growth, and Scale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cullen Gilchrist Named Entrepreneur in Residence at Cornell University |url=https://www.unionkitchen.com/blog/cullen-gilchrist-named-entrepreneur-in-residence-at-cornell-university |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=www.unionkitchen.com |language=en}}</ref> In 2022, Cullen established the Union Kitchen Fund 1, a $20M Series A investment fund.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=anita |date=2023-06-09 |title=Union Kitchen- HOW A FOOD BUSINESS ACCELERATOR IN WASHINGTON, DC IS PAVING |url=https://innovationsoftheworld.com/union-kitchen-how-a-food-business-accelerator-in-washingtondc-is-paving-the-way-for-the-next-big-cpg-brands/ |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=Innovations of the World |language=en-US}}</ref>