Spotlight: “Flavors” Flourishes in Prince George’s County
In 2016, Samia Bingham was inspired by her husband's transition to a plant-based lifestyle to found Flavors - a hub for culinary entrepreneurs in Prince George’s County.
Recognizing the lack of commercial kitchen spaces available for aspiring entrepreneurs in her community, Samia leveraged her skillsets from her career in federal government contracting to design a shared kitchen and food business incubator model that could meet her community’s needs.
In 2019, Flavors gained national recognition when Samia won the UPS & Inc. Magazine Small Business Challenge, securing the first key funding to grow her vision. Two years later, Flavors opened its first full commercial kitchen in Hyattsville, supporting chefs, caterers, and food entrepreneurs.
Since then, Flavors has continued to expand its offerings and now serves as a thriving hub for food entrepreneurs, built on community, resilience, and the power of seizing opportunities.
Samia Bingham with Darius Graham, Managing Director of Community Impact, The Community Foundation, Tonia Wellons, Pres & CEO, The Community Foundation, Jermaine Johnson, Regional President, Greater Washington & Virginia at PNC Bank, and Dr. Kevin Granger, Enterprise Dental Care.
Accelerating Flavors through the Prince George’s County Small Business Support Program
In 2024, the Greater Washington Community Foundation launched the Prince George’s County Small Business Support Program with funding from the PNC Foundation.
This program was designed to provide grants and technical assistance to small businesses – like Flavors – that operate along the Blue and Purple Line corridors in Prince George’s County, by providing greater opportunities to harness the economic benefits of development in the area while navigating challenges caused by the project.
As one of 17 recipients, Samia has leveraged the funds of this grant to help Flavors navigate key business needs, including.
Support for staffing transitions
Ensuring smooth operations for their training program
Coverage for essential costs beyond revenue
The grant also helped offset the high cost of rent in their retail space, allowing Flavors to continue providing 24/7 access to kitchen facilities, deep cleaning, equipment maintenance, and utilities for their members.
In addition to financial support, the technical assistance provided through the PNC program has been a game-changer for Flavors. Working closely with an advisor, Samia was able to refine Flavors’ business model and develop a strategic plan for scaling beyond its current capacity.
With expert guidance, Samia formed a parent company, positioning itself as a full-service hospitality management and facility operations firm. This shift has opened doors to government contracts, facility management bids, and the development of a community compliance app for the health department.
The technical assistance also helped Flavors explore new ventures, such as a retail marketplace where members can showcase their products, which is set to launch in May 2025.
With support from the Small Business Support Program, a program of the Together, We Prosper campaign, Flavors is a thriving hub for culinary entrepreneurs in Prince George’s County—fostering community and helping members secure business opportunities across the region.