Kendra Moses wants to preserve your recipes. Restaurant recipes too.

Through her new business Plated Traditions, Kendra takes written family recipes and digitizes the text into a beautiful keepsake. For restaurants, she plans to help catalog the chef's cookbook just in case something happens. She calls this "recipe insurance" - and don't worry, there's a non-disclosure agreement so your secret sauce is safe.

Ever since she was little helping her mother and grandmother in the kitchen, Kendra showed an interest in food which led her to culinary school. Although restaurant ownership is not in the cards right now, she's brought her passion to life in a new way.

"The biggest part of being in the kitchen for me has always been collecting recipes," Kendra says. " I could go to the library for hours looking at cookbooks from around the world." 

Kendra was just one of the 20 total participants graduating last June in UnBound RVA's mentorship program. The non-profit organization offers free guidance to participants and commits to launching five businesses per year.

They connect budding entrepreneurs with professional development opportunities, potential investors, legal and financial guidance, and access to pro-bono creative work from several of the city's top branding agencies. 

Kendra was referred to the program by her employer and completed the application process. 

The selected participants go through six months of curriculum from personal branding, business modeling, ideation. Upon graduation, these new owners continue to receive support from one to two years after the program.

"In judging the participants, you realize the impact the decision has on someone’s life," UnBound RVA's Small Business Director Melody Short says. "You always hope you have applied the metrics properly and you hope that those that don’t move forward continue their business journey. Fortunately, we’re in a city where startups are embraced so there is still a network of support available."

While most of the businesses UnBound RVA supports are service-oriented, Kendra’s concept was unique because she offers a physical product. 

"We wanted to get Plated Traditions a good footing here in Richmond since it has such a supportive food community," Melody says.

While Kendra's goal is to make her new business a full-time career, right now the focus is on building customer relationships. "I want them to have something that’s actually a plated tradition they can pass on to children and grandchildren."

Learn more about Plated Traditions here.