Mother of five Gillian Wilson from Avoch, Ross-shire, and 21-year-old Gemma Bateman, from Shinness, near Lairg, Sutherland, scooped the top prizes in the contest run by Inverness College UHI with £2,000 of prize funding provided by Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
The contest was a friendlier version of the TV entrepreneurship programme 'Dragon's Den' with the finalists being interviewed in Inverness.
Gillian Wilson, who won the over 25s category, is setting up her own business 'The Dinner Service'.
A former midwife at Raigmore Hospital, Gillian is a self-taught chef who aims to prepare, cook and deliver top quality meals to couples holding dinner parties, visitors in self-catering accommodation, or any individuals or groups who are staging an event or celebration or just a fun evening.
"My children are aged from five to 14 so I haven't worked for the past two years", explains Gillian,” but I've always loved cooking and felt I could develop a business delivering to professional people who appreciate good food but who want to eat at home or in some non-restaurant venue. If a busy couple want to pretend they cooked it themselves, that's no problem to me.
"I've completed my hygiene and 'cooksafe' courses and this week I'm doing my business course at Inverness College and I'm ready to launch the business from the end of June, supplying dishes with fresh Scottish produce.
"The creme brulee and raspberry filo tarts which I prepared for the competition presentation seemed to go down extremely well -- and my fish chowder is also very popular."
Gillian added: “Winning the competition is absolutely fantastic. I found the organisers very supportive. I felt it might be frightening but I was put at my ease. The business advice backup is invaluable -- and when I found I'd won £500 I went straight out and bought a 'hot box' the same night.
"It controls the temperature of food during delivery and was the one essential I lacked. Now I'm ready to go!"
Gillian is getting great backing from husband Mike and children Rebecca, Hollie, Malcolm, Charlie and Angus. "I've been used to cooking for our family of seven, so a big order doesn't bother me", she says. "In my business I'll be able to cook for 20, 30 or 40 people at a time."
The £300 second prize went to Kerri Johnston, Inverness, with a fancy dress business concept, while Stuart Chalmers of Aberlour took the £200 third place with an idea based on farm machinery.
Gemma Bateman, winner of the under-25s category, has just finished her final exams taking an Environment and Heritage degree at North Highland College.
She says: "I'm thrilled my idea for a Plant Information Service has been successful, though I don't want to say very much about the actual project because of commercial confidentiality till I get the business up and running.
"But it involves distribution of garden plants on a Scotland-wide basis and partly came about through my studies and partly because I've always been a keen gardener.
"The money will help me get going but the liaison with a business advisor through The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust is vital to me."
Inverness lad Derek Manson, with a tartan gifts project, won £300 as runner-up in the under 25s with Ghillean Macleod, Orkney, taking the £200 third spot with her premium cosmetics proposal.
Contest organiser Carol Langston, lecturer in the School of Business at Inverness College UHI, said: "Gillian and Gemma did extremely well and were very impressive with their presentations.
"All the entrants have been given contact details and information on how to take forward their ideas. The contest was such a success and the quality of ideas so high, that we hope to run it again next year."
Brian Weaver, Business Starts manager, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, said: “Inverness College deserve credit for coming up with such a simple yet very effective idea to hold this contest.
"All the finalists came up with good work. Every proposal looked great and hopefully several businesses may get underway as a result. In that sense, they were all winners. We're certainly keen to offer advice, training and support.
"Overall winners Gillian and Gemma had real enthusiasm for their ideas and have put thought in to how to progress them. I wish them every success."
