Samantha Kendall just wanted her family to eat healthier. So when she came up with a variety of different recipes for her children’s favorite meal – lasagna – friends and family members began encouraging Ms. Kendall to take her leaner, healthier and more delicious translations of lasagna from the kitchen table to the board room.

Sam’s Gourmet Lasagna, founded in 2005 by Ms. Kendall, became incorporated in 2008. Three of her lasagna recipes are sold at Chicago’s Jewel-Osco (select locations) and Chatham Foods stores, the city's Harold’s Chicken (select locations), as well as Blue’s Barbeque in Urbana, Illinois and Cincinnati. Ms. Kendall expects the success of her Gourmet Chicken, Turkey and Vegetable lasagna recipes to eventually find homes in grocery stores around the country.