Citi Test Kitchen Launches at Urbanspace to Help Businesses Grow

Last month marked the official opening of the Citi Test Kitchen at Urbanspace @ 570 Lexington. The Citi Test Kitchen is the first of its kind—a new experience at Urbanspace sponsored by Citi to help support the growth of local NYC culinary entrepreneurs. For a period of three months, the Citi Test Kitchen provides participants with the space and help to showcase and grow their business.

Sonya Samuel, the first chef to take up residency at the Citi Test Kitchen, was the winner of the Citi Urbanspace Challenge, a creative competition designed to discover local culinary entrepreneurs with talent and potential and provide them with a platform to raise their profiles and connect with the community.

Samuel was born in Brooklyn to a Caribbean family, and from a young age learned and loved manipulating and exploring the unique flavors of her traditional Caribbean cuisine. Her ability to leverage the heat of the Habanero and Scotch bonnet peppers against the sweet taste of the Caribbean guavas and pineapples is a testament to her creativity and dedication to her craft.

Here at Citi, we are extremely excited to support Sonya Samuel as she expands her business. For many up-and-coming chefs, accruing a solid customer base, raising start-up capital and locking down a prime location are insurmountable barriers to entry. Through the Citi Test Kitchen, Citi is helping promising chefs overcome these barriers. I encourage you to join us as we support these culinary entrepreneurs by trying some of Sonya Samuel's Bacchanal Sauce for yourself. The Citi Test Kitchen is located at Urbanspace @ 570 Lex, on the corner of 51^st Street and Lexington Avenue.