$30K grand prize: Sisters embrace vegan comfort eats potential with Mattie’s Food’s big win

Arvelisha Woods and India Monique plan to use their grand prize winnings from Friday’s We Are Black pitch competition to invest in the community’s health, they said.

Mattie’s Foods won $30,000 in the second annual G.I.F.T. event, which saw 10 Black-owned businesses vying for funding to fuel their business dreams.

The winning co-founders of the vegan eats venture want to establish their own garden to combat food deserts and nourish Kansas City — all part of the sisters-turned-entrepreneurs’ years-long effort to transform people’s relationships with nutritious food through their comfort-food cafe.

“We grew up on 57th and College and there was no store like that, so to be able to have something in the city where people can go and pick produce, and learn how to garden and grow their own food, that’s our ultimate vision,” said Woods.

With the restaurant named after their late grandmother who inspired their creativity, cooking, and resourcefulness, the sisters aspire to pay that love forward in the community through food education.

From the archives: How two hungry vegan sisters went from making queso to their own storefront on Holmes

“I had already decided when getting on that stage that I won no matter what name was called, because every business there is a representation of everything that people like me want to be,” said Woods.

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Karina Colvon, KC Nails and Spa, center, celebrates after being named a winner in the We Are Black pitch competition; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Self-starters represented

The prize pool for Friday’s competition at the Delta Athenaeum hit $60,000.

In addition to Mattie’s Foods, Karina Colvon, owner of KC Nails and Spa, claimed the $20,000 prize, while Guroux Khalifa, owner of District Biskuits, won $10,000.

Teaching more than 150 girls in the KC metro area, Colvon intends to use her funds to expand her own accredited cosmetology school for aspiring nail technicians, while Khalifa plans to enhance his storefront with new equipment and increase staffing.

RELATED: Hot biskuits on the rise: Classically-trained chef brings long lines, culture, collaboration to North KC

Guroux Khalifa, owner of District Biskuits, embraces Brandon Calloway, CEO and co-founder of G.I.F.T. during the announcement of winners at the We Are Black pitch competition; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

The full list of Friday’s competitors included:

• Smooth Body – Tanika Campbell‘s line of small-batch body care products aims to exfoliate and moisturize skin.
• The Black Pantry – Brian Roberts‘s home goods and specialty shop exclusively offers products from Black-owned businesses.
• Duffle Bag Apparel – KeiShaun Britton‘s empowering apparel company.
• Cinns Cleaning – Cindi Corredor’s home cleaning and service business provides home cleaning, landscaping, and car detailing services in the KC area.
• AGA Productions – Corey McCartney‘s KC-based film and music production company.
• The Blakk Co. – Founded by Christina Williams and Tamela Ross, a membership-based social club & lounge for Black professionals.
• BLK + BRWN – Cori Smith’s bookstore uplifting the works of Black and Brown authors.

From the archives: BLK + BRWN debuts KC’s first smart bookstore with a twist: ‘I wanted to be as Black as possible’

Cori Smith, founder of BLK + BRWN bookstore, pitches her business alongside Karis Harrington, G.I.F.T.; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Spreading the word

G.I.F.T. (Generating Income for Tomorrow), a nonprofit founded in 2020, organized Friday’s pitch competition and Black business expo as part of its ongoing mission to narrow the racial wealth gap in Kansas City. Members of the public are most familiar with G.I.F.T.’s efforts to award grants to Black-owned businesses in historically underserved neighborhoods.

“This is the one time of the year that we allow ourselves to be able to be a financial support to all of the other black owned businesses in the Kansas City area,” said Brandon Calloway, CEO and co-founder of G.I.F.T.

Unlike the grant program, which is targeted for businesses on the east side of the city, the pitch competition is open to a wider array of Black-owned businesses, beyond G.I.F.T.’s typical geographic limitations.

“This is a way for us to involve the community,” Calloway said. “Normally what we do in our grant-making process is all behind the scenes. So we’re able to introduce new people to our pitchers, even if they don’t win.”

Check out a gallery of photos from the pitch competition and business expo below.