Nitro Nostalgia, an Ice Cream and Board Game Café, Wins South Side Pitch Competition

CHICAGO—The Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship (IJ Clinic)’s 13th Annual South Side Pitch announced that Nitro Nostalgia, an ice cream and board game café, took first place among the five finalists from the more than 160 businesses that applied.

Nitro Nostalgia, located in Bronzeville, combines handcrafted ice cream with interactive board games to bring friends and family together. Founder Garland Lucas was born and raised in Roseland and started the business after a 25-year career in the railroad industry. Garland plans to use the $15,000 in prize money to market his business and purchase mobile refrigeration equipment to cater events.

“To me, this is a win for Bronzeville and for my employees, who mean so much to me,” said Lucas. “Being an entrepreneur requires grit and tenacity and a great team because you can’t do everything yourself. The prize money will not only help me let more people know about Nitro Nostalgia; it will also help us get out into the community to provide ice cream and fun.”

“Small businesses connect us to our neighborhoods and to our neighbors,” said Beth Kregor, director of the IJ Clinic. “This year’s finalists are bridging gaps in their communities and in their industries. They are introducing customers from down the block and across the country to the ingenuity”

In addition to the grand prize, this year’s South Side Pitch awarded cash prizes to all the participants.

2nd Place: Mamma Jamma Dance $10,000

3rd Place: Vash Beauty Labs $6,000

4th Place: South Side Sweats $3,000

5th Place: Ehmage $1,500

Mamma Jamma Dance took home the $1,500 audience favorite award determined by audience voting, won a special $2,500 award from the University of Chicago Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation for its work in the community to bring about positive social change, and won the $3,000 South Side Sensation award—a new award for this year for a business with an important presence in and significant impact on the South Side as well as being an inspiring example of a South Side entrepreneurship.

The pitches by the finalists were made to four esteemed judges: Bo Kemp, Chief Executive Officer of the Southland Development Authority and Venture Partner at Caelum Ventures; Shannon McGhee, Chief Executive Officer at SEED SPOT; Rashida Stevens, Employee Benefits Counsel at United Airlines; and Wendy Walker Williams, Assistant Vice President for Community Partnerships and Impact at the University of Chicago’s Office of Civic Engagement. Prior to the event, finalists met with experienced business coaches to prepare and sharpen their pitches.

South Side Pitch is hosted by the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship. The contest is sponsored by the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the University of Chicago Office of Civic Engagement, United Airlines, and The Coleman Foundation.