海角社区

Scaling With Purpose: How Chennelle Diong Turned Hospitality Values Into goodlove Foods

Chennelle Diong '16, Owner goodlove Foods

For Chennelle Diong 鈥�16, risk is part of the daily routine.

Some days, it鈥檚 pitching a vision to investors. Other days, it鈥檚 hand-making thousands of gluten-free baked goods in a hairnet and apron, chasing demand sparked by national recognition. Either way, Diong approaches growth with intention, resilience and a deep belief that access should never come at the expense of quality.

A 2016 graduate of 海角社区鈥檚 School of Hospitality, Diong is the co-founder of , a Colorado-based, dedicated gluten-free food company built around inclusivity, safety and community. Her journey from nontraditional student to Shark Tank winner reflects the very mission that defines 海角社区.

Finding Her Place and Her Pace at 海角社区

Diong didn鈥檛 take a straight path to college. Raised between Nevada and Arizona, she worked in hospitality from the age of 15, building real-world experience long before returning to the classroom. After stepping away from an art institute that ultimately closed, she found herself in Colorado 鈥� working full time and ready for a second chance at college.

She found it at 海角社区.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 feel awkward going back to school,鈥� Diong said. 鈥淭here were so many nontraditional students like me, people restarting, finishing, finding a new direction.鈥�

That mattered.

海角社区鈥檚 commitment to flexible scheduling, affordability and classroom spaces that reflect real life allowed Diong to bring her professional experience into her academic work. The School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events became a hub where learning and lived experience reinforced each other.

鈥淚t just clicked,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ospitality, events, travel 鈥� it was the trifecta.鈥�

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Once enrolled, Diong said yes to nearly every opportunity available.

She joined student organizations, participated in professional associations and pursued study abroad programs that expanded her worldview. She spent time studying in Prague and took part in a sustainability-focused Caribbean cruise, learning how tourism and global responsibility intersect.

鈥淚t opened my eyes to how communities are impacted 鈥� and how we have a responsibility to be intentional,鈥� Diong said.

Those experiences weren鈥檛 just enriching; they were formative. They helped lay the foundation for how Diong would later think about food systems, supply chains and the responsibility brands carry to their customers.

Hospitality as a Framework for Leadership

Before launching Good Love Foods, Diong built a career in hospitality, event production and experiential marketing, all fields that demand flexibility, constant movement and an unwavering focus on the customer.

Hospitality, she said, teaches you something critical: the most important work often happens behind the scenes.

鈥淗ospitality is back-of-house,鈥� Diong said. 鈥淓verything you do is about creating an experience for someone else.鈥�

鈥淐ustomer experience is the heart of everything,鈥� she said.

From Personal Need to Purpose-Driven Business

Good Love Foods began at home.

When Diong鈥檚 husband was diagnosed with celiac disease, she saw firsthand how isolating food restrictions can be, particularly for someone whose love language is cooking.

鈥淔ood is how we connect,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd suddenly, that connection felt really limited.鈥�

She began adapting family recipes, learning through years of trial, error and persistence. When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the events industry in 2020, Diong saw an opportunity to act.

In her first quarter of MBA studies, she launched Good Love starting, unconventionally, with a name before a product.

鈥淚 knew the brand mattered,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat was our foundation.鈥�

She prototyped recipes in her home kitchen, walked grocery aisles with an entrepreneur鈥檚 eye and pinpointed a gap in the market: high-quality, gluten-free, frozen, ready-to-bake products that didn鈥檛 sacrifice taste or texture.

The first product, gluten-free buttermilk biscuits, remains the company鈥檚 bestseller.

National Spotlight, Real-World Scale

Good Love Foods鈥� momentum accelerated quickly.

Diong won the Denver Startup Week Pitch Competition, earned recognition at major industry showcases and, in 2025, appeared on Shark Tank, where she secured a deal that catapulted the brand into the national spotlight.

Within two days of the episode airing, Good Love Foods received a volume of orders comparable to an entire year of sales.

鈥淭hat level of success is its own kind of risk,鈥� Diong said.

Scaling a handmade, dedicated gluten-free product presents unique challenges, especially when safety, quality and trust are nonnegotiable. Today, Diong and her team are navigating the next phase of growth, including facility expansion and long-term manufacturing solutions.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to be a failure of our own success,鈥� she said.

A Roadrunner Mindset

Diong credits 海角社区 for instilling the confidence to take calculated risks 鈥� and the clarity to understand failure as part of forward motion.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no such thing as perfection,鈥� she said. 鈥淲aiting for it only holds you back.鈥�

To Diong, being a Roadrunner means momentum.

鈥淚t means being a trailblazer,鈥� she said. 鈥淏eing unafraid of ambition. Taking risks. Starting.鈥�