The Next Food Entrepreneur?

Shorewood's own Marcus Thie has a vision for locally-grown food and organic sauces that could land him the title of Wisconsin's next best food entrepreneur.

Thie is one of three finalists in the Hottest Kitchen Entrepreneur Challenge for his concept of Sauceformations, a line of gluten-free and Paleo-diet friendly organic sauces for home chefs, including Tomato Choka – a recipe from Trinidad packed with flavor and nutrients.

Thie also wants to launch StreetBeet, a food truck where he can promote locally grown food and showcase organic recipes featuring his sauce line.

The Hottest Kitchen Entrepreneur Challenge is sponsored by Milwaukee Area Technical College, Reliable Water Services, and FaB Milwaukee.

The grand prize winner will receive $2,500 in seed money from Reliable Water Services; a comprehensive entrepreneurial consultation package from MATC; $500 of professional cookware from Boelter Superstore and a two-hour private meeting with food industry executives serving on FaB Milwaukee’s Advisory Council.

Aspiring chefs and home cooks entered The Hottest Kitchen Entrepreneur Challenge by submitting a short application and photo of their concept. Finalists were selected based on the originality and viability of their concept and appearance based on an initial photo.

To win the contest, Thie will have to edge out Milwaukee residents Andrew Bechaud and Pete Cooney in a Food Network-style event judged at MATC’s student-run restaurant Cuisine on July 31.

Bechaud's concept is to create a line of handcrafted small batch beverages made with Wisconsin agricultural ingredients. Flavors include Chocolate Chai Veloute and Spring Blossom Cherry Soda. His dream is to start a small production facility and sell to local upscale grocers such as Sendik’s or Whole Foods.

Cooney's idea is to produce handcrafted ice pops made with fresh fruits and natural sugars in flavors like strawberry basil and pineapple jalapeno. Cooney wants to produce through a commercial kitchen, start selling via a push cart at local events and ultimately distribute through area grocers.