Hawaii in a Bowl On The Previous Page

The day concluded with a series of presentations that 500 Startups oversaw.

500 Startups founder Dave McClure, who’s helped fund 300 companies – 12 food-related – and wore an “I Facebooked Your Mom T-shirt.” He sat alongside chefs Lee Anne Wong, Susan Feniger, Sang Yoon and Roy Yamaguchi, plus Food & Wine publisher Christina Grdovic. They formed a jury for five presenters, three of whom already have VC funding from 500 Startups, and two more companies that are craving financial supporters.

Presenters included Brendan Marshall (Kitchit), who declared, “Chefs are the artists of food, and we’re trying to create a direct connection to these artists” through private, customizable catering events that average $75 per person and 12 people.

Elyse Petersen co-founded Tealet with Jane Gonsowshi after earning an MBA from the University of Hawaii. They encourage direct trade between tea growers and tea drinkers.

Culture Kitchen founder Abby Sturges delivers “ethnic cooking kits” with home cook recipes.

Triathletes and business partners William Doom and Kimberly Burnett founded Kaleberry, delivering prepared food, five meals at a time, with the menu changing weekly, featuring Paleo, Signature and Macroberry diets.

Finally, Aihui Ong of Love With Food offers trial-sized foods and treats, with a portion of proceeds going to feed hungry Americans.

In an often-uncomfortable display, the panel questioned the viability of the concepts, with certain chefs taking up for their brethren’s financial gain, other panelists wondering about the efficacy of the business model, and occasional approval. In the end, only the cautious Kaleberry founders and charitably inclined Love With Food founder seemed to get a passing grade. The panel was kind of interesting, as a website owner who would like to build a business, but it’s easy to imagine other attendees getting bored by long-winded critiques. If they repeat the panel next year, maybe the best idea can win funding, to raise the stakes on the entrepreneurial discourse.