As the founder and director of Family Rise Together (FRT), ChaQuana McEntyre Jones has been working since 2014 to empower families and lift them from poverty. She just launched an ambitious campaign to help area food entrepreneurs grow their businesses. 

Supporting entrepreneurs has long been a part of the nonprofit’s mission. Through these efforts, McEntyre Jones, a graduate of UMD’s Master of Social Work program, recognized a community need for commercial kitchen space. 

Her nonprofit recently bought the building at 5719 Grand Avenue that housed the Sunshine Cafe, a beloved local restaurant, for more than 30 years. The plan is to revamp and reinvigorate the space, which has been shuttered since September 2023. 

FRT launched a capital campaign this spring to support the creation of a ghost kitchen and restaurant accelerator program in West Duluth. McEntyre Jones says they aim to raise $225,000 for the project.

The ghost kitchen approach has gained popularity since the pandemic. These commercial kitchens enable small business owners to rent space and test restaurant concepts, providing access to resources and clientele without the typical restaurant overhead. Food is ordered through a third party or online service, then delivered or picked up at a designated time. Since there’s no dine-in option, businesses can save substantially on costs. 

This opportunity will be available to those who can’t afford a full commercial kitchen and who want to test a concept or grow an existing cottage food business. Program participants will complete a 12-week training program and receive technical assistance from FRT on everything from establishing an LLC to creating a business plan, marketing, and a menu.

“This could be what helps someone who loves cooking as a hobby to start a business. The space could also support individuals currently running a business out of their home who need a commercial kitchen to scale up,” explains McEntyre Jones.

The redesign and remodel started in February 2025. It will incorporate kitchen equipment donated by the YWCA’s Young Mothers Program. The building’s main floor will host the kitchen and event space, while the upstairs will provide needed office space for programming and training.

The goal is to have the kitchen up and running by summer, with three to six businesses participating at a time. The accelerator will also create a full-time director of operations position.

Since entrepreneurs often work in isolation, McEntyre Jones expects the peer support network to be beneficial. “It will give individuals an opportunity to work beside other individuals like them in the same space. They can share ideas and find out their growth areas and strength points to better their businesses in the future,” she says.