The Spark Tank Program

Partnering with Soulcial Kitchen & Food Is Love TV

Dedicated to improving justice and equity through the launching of economically viable enterprises in under-resourced American cities and communities, the program provides:
  • Base-level business education for budding entrepreneurs desiring to start a business.
  • Entrepreneurial thinking and analyzing skills to create a viable business venture.
  • Mentoring and team support all along the entrepreneurial  journey!
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We Believe in YOU

Preparing to launch a new business requires a base level of business education before considering ideation, strategy, financial forecasting, and, ultimately, securing the necessary capital for success. Toward this end, the Spark Tank will start with a Preparation Academy for those needing that base level of education. Those who already possess a base level of business education can start immediately in the Entrepreneurial Bootcamp, where venture ideas will be developed, tested, and launched.

The modules within the courses will be taught by Benedictine College School of Business professors and others with knowledge and experience in key areas of application. Content will be delivered synchronously (at the same time) online, but facilitated and hosted locally, to create a community of entrepreneurs journeying and learning together.

The Soulcial Kitchen

At Soulcial Kitchen, our fundamental belief is that people are the heartbeat of our mission. We are dedicated to cultivating a vibrant community where aspiring entrepreneurs can flourish in the hospitality industry. Our unique campus serves as a nurturing ground for those eager to learn, create, and lead.

By offering tailored opportunities to develop new skills and harness individual talents and passions, we empower each person to craft a distinctive and impactful business. At Soulcial Kitchen, we don’t just build businesses—we fulfill dreams, one passionate individual at a time.


Our Partner Organizations

Benedictine College
Benedictine College, in Atchison, Kansas, is committed to transforming culture in America—across all of America. To this end, we believe that business, when practiced with virtue, is a significant solution to the problems of injustice. Through our School of Business' Byron G. Thompson Center for Integrity in Finance and Economics, we seek to support under-resourced communities with budding entrepreneurs. By providing well-educated and well-formed entrepreneurs with patient capital, we aim to help them create economically viable businesses in their community, for their community, and by their community. The Spark Tank is our chosen vehicle for pursuing this lofty goal with and through our local partners.

Civil Righteousness
Civil Righteousness is a movement of holy activism organized as a 501 (c)3 not-for-profit charitable organization. We are pursuing reconciliation and restorative justice through spiritual, cultural, and economic renewal. To that end, we engage injustice, build bridges, mobilize allies, and restore communities by calling upon both faith communities and the private sector to help us establish new infrastructures in historically black and minority communities. Through innovation, entrepreneurship, and investment; we desire to develop sustainable, creative, and holistic ecosystems fueled by
mentoring mechanisms with life-giving businesses and creative incubators.
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Food is Love TV
Food is Love TV is a captivating show that follows Danish American Master Chef, Lasse Sorensen, as he embarks on a journey to discover the people behind the diverse St Louis food world. St Louis is widely recognized as one of the most diverse and fastest-growing food scenes in the country. Chef Lasse's mission is to travel around the world without ever leaving the city, showcasing the rich culinary heritage and the vibrant food culture of St Louis. Soulcial Kitchen, the home of America’s first Food Truck Apprentice Program, is a testament to our commitment to supporting and nurturing the local food industry.

Capstone Mergers & Acquisitions
While other community assets are dedicated to strengthening families, enhancing education, and minimizing crime, we contend that business empowerment can be a community's lifeblood. While wealth does not define human value, justice earned through ownership of local businesses can spin the economic flywheel of a community and improve the standard of living for all. We believe that families, education, and safety suffer without the benefit of economic engines. The Spark Tank initiative is strategically designed to disrupt systemic problems leading to social injustice and to encourage full community engagement through an “each one, teach one” approach.
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