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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Alexandria Economic Development Partnership and MOVE Business Chamber have launched a new program designed to help aspiring food and beverage entrepreneurs navigate the path from idea to opening day, with a free public kickoff session scheduled for July 29 in Alexandria.
The F&B Business Readiness Program will guide a select cohort of founders through six weekly sessions covering every stage of launching a food business, from concept validation and business planning to funding, permitting, operations, and marketing. The cohort runs August 5 through September 9, meeting Wednesdays from 4:30 to 7 p.m. in Alexandria.
Eight seats are fully subsidized — at no cost — for City of Alexandria residents and property or business owners, funded by the City of Alexandria and AEDP. MOVE Business Chamber members may participate for $150; the general rate is $600. Applying is free, and participants are selected after review. Because space is limited, organizers ask that applicants commit to attending all but one session.
The kickoff session — titled "Should You Open a Food Business?" — takes place Wednesday, July 29 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 1940 Duke Street, 1st Floor, Alexandria. It is free and open to the public, though seating is limited. The session is designed to give prospective entrepreneurs an unfiltered look at the realities of opening and running a food business in today's market.
Two speakers will lead the kickoff discussion: Scott Shaw, founding partner of Alexandria Restaurant Partners, who co-founded Amy's Ice Creams and founded Fishbowl, a restaurant marketing and analytics company he led as CEO for 16 years; and Avez Bashadi, owner of the Teriyaki Madness franchise location ranked No. 1 in the country for sales. Together they will address current market conditions, startup costs, common pitfalls, and what separates successful food businesses from those that don't make it.
The full six-session cohort features a broader roster of industry practitioners. Dr. Khalid Mekki, a local restaurant owner with a PhD in engineering and operations, brings an academic lens to hands-on food business management. Baha Sahin, a licensed general contractor and former restaurant operator, offers expertise spanning culinary experience and construction. Tom Voskuil, founder of Alexandria's Taqueria Picoso, helped grow Ritz-Carlton in its earliest days, made wine in Napa, and twice partnered in a Food & Wine Best New Chef restaurant in Colorado before bringing authentic Mexican cuisine to Alexandria.
Participants who complete the program will leave with a validated business concept, financial projections and break-even analysis, a startup budget and financing plan, a permit and site-selection roadmap for Alexandria, a marketing and customer-acquisition plan, a 30-, 90-, and 365-day action plan, and a founder playbook of templates and tools.
AEDP President and CEO Stephanie Landrum said the program connects directly to the city's broader economic agenda. "Alexandria is home to a vibrant and growing food and beverage community, and we want to make sure that anyone looking to be part of it has the skills, knowledge, and support they need to succeed," Landrum said. "This program is an example of new initiatives inspired by the City's recently adopted ALX Forward Framework."
ALX Forward, adopted by City Council in January 2026, is Alexandria's first comprehensive economic development plan since 2007. The framework identifies entrepreneurship and innovation as a core pillar, calling for expanded support for the city's entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Shahid Rahman, executive director of MOVE Business Chamber, said the program is designed to channel the region's diversity into durable business success. "Northern Virginia is home to an incredibly diverse community, and that diversity is exactly what makes this region such a rich environment for food entrepreneurship," Rahman said. "We want to make sure that energy translates into sustainable, successful businesses."
MOVE Business Chamber describes itself as Virginia's convening platform for minority business leaders, connecting founders, investors, and policymakers across the Commonwealth.
To register for the July 29 kickoff session or apply for the F&B Business Readiness Program cohort, visit movechamber.org/programs/food-beverage.
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