The Owego Kitchen honored by U.S. Chamber of Commerce as Community Support & Leadership Award finalist 

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced in a national press release on Wednesday that The Owego Kitchen, from Owego, N.Y., is a finalist for its annual Dream Big Awards. The awards, presented by Spectrum Reach and with support from MetLife and Staples Connect, celebrate the achievements of small businesses and honor their contributions to America’s economic growth. 

This year’s 27 finalists were chosen from a record setting 1,000-plus applications submitted from small businesses across the country. 

“This year small businesses have continued facing every obstacle head-on, taking risks, working hard, and dreaming big in the face of ongoing challenges and uncertainty,” said Tom Sullivan, U.S. Chamber of Commerce vice president of Small Business Policy. 

He added, “Small businesses are a critical and vibrant sector of the U.S. economy, and the U.S. Chamber is proud to celebrate the very best in American small business through our Dream Big Awards.” 

The Dream Big Awards program includes nine different Business Achievement Awards to recognize the excellence of leading businesses in each of the following categories: community support and leadership, emerging, green / sustainable, minority-owned, LGBTQ-owned, veteran owned, woman-owned, young entrepreneur, and small business of the year. 

The Community Support and Leadership Award recognizes the success of one small business and honors its contributions to the growth and diversity of the American economy. This award recognizes a small business that has demonstrated an exemplary level of leadership and community engagement to assist the needs of its community, and to service the needs of its customers, employees, and neighbors. 

Owner of The Owego Kitchen, Chef Julie Lovelass, said the following regarding the selection, “We are truly honored to be recognized on the national stage by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, but more so we are honored to be a part of our very giving local community. Their continued support has allowed us to Dream Big.”

Award winners will be announced at the virtual Dream Big Awards program, part of the Big Week for Small Business virtual event, on Thursday, Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. Registration is open to the public at https://events.uschamber.com/bigweekforsmallbusiness. 

The Owego Kitchen is a woman-owned business in the heart of historic downtown Owego, N.Y. Founded in November 2015 by Chef Julie Lovelass, The Owego Kitchen boasts a menu of home-style foods – soups, salads, sandwiches, and baked goods, with a contemporary twist. 

The Owego Kitchen is proud to support their community through active memberships with the Tioga County Chamber of Commerce, Tioga County Tourism, and the Historic Owego Marketplace. For more information, visit theowegokitchen.com.