Story By Lisa Park

Meet Jamal: From Food Truck to Brick-and-Mortar

Through NACED's Accelerator program, chef and entrepreneur Jamal Washington built the business acumen to open his first restaurant — and he's not stopping there.

When Jamal Washington enrolled in NACED's Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator, he had a food truck, a following, and a dream. What he didn't have was a business plan, a banking relationship, or any idea how to negotiate a commercial lease.

Twelve weeks later, he had all three — plus a mentor, a peer cohort of fellow food entrepreneurs, and a clear path to his first brick-and-mortar location in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood.

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