First-Ever Entrepreneurship Team Challenge Brings Students’ Dreams to Life

Everyone was big cheesin' during the first-ever Entrepreneurship Team Challenge on Sunday, January 11, at Pearl. The event wasn't just about grilled cheese sandwiches (though they were incredible). It was about something much more meaningful: our community rallying around the next generation of entrepreneurs.

In just one week, five teams of students from the Culinary Institute of America - Texas and Trinity University participated in an intensive Entrepreneur Bootcamp. They learned to craft delectable grilled cheese creations while mastering the essentials of product marketing, managing business expenses, and storytelling that resonates with customers—skills that will serve them far beyond the kitchen.

From Classroom to Community

The Team Challenge transformed the Pearl Makers Market into a real-world laboratory where students brought their carefully crafted concepts to life through a one-day-only ticketed event. And here's what made it truly special: San Antonio showed up. Our community members didn't just attend—they became active participants in these students' entrepreneurial journey, sampling creations, offering feedback, and casting votes for their favorites.

Award-Winning Innovation

Team Cheesin took home top honors with the Executive Vote from Trinity's Tom Evelyn, Andrew Wells, and Trey Beasley. Their winning sandwich featured homemade milk bread layered with goat and Havarti cheeses, bacon, and caramelized onion jam. Thoughtful touches like comforting tomato chutney dip, cardamom lemonade, and even whipped cream-peanut butter pup cups for guests' dogs showed the team's attention to every detail of the customer experience.

The popular vote went to Loco Flamma, whose "spicy French-Mexican croque" crossed cultures with flair—roast beef melting into Oaxaca cheese, queso fresco, and queso blanco, all brought together with chipotle aioli and accompanied by handmade watermelon-prickly pear agua fresca.

Managing budgets, maximizing resources, and executing a polished product is no small feat. Yet these students rose to the challenge, and our community showed up to support them every step of the way.

A Community That Invests in Tomorrow

Mar-y-sol Salina-McCoy, senior director of academic success at Trinity, captured the magic of the day: "It was a whirlwind, very fast-paced week for our students. It was great to see them dive in and challenge themselves in many ways. To see them today, in action, live, with real customers, brings it all together. They were just amazing."

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