Beloved Chef Losing Everything; Help Keep Restaurant Open

Beloved Chef Losing Everything; Help Keep Restaurant Open & Staff in Recovery Employed

Eurasia by Chef Michel, a Prescott, Arizona town favorite may soon shut its doors as “we can’t afford to stay open, but we can’t afford to be closed either.” I am Clarissa, Chef Michel’s wife and business partner. My husband is a hugely accomplished world-class chef, and I am a global marketer with a wealth of credentials. Yet none of these “qualifications” could save our restaurant and lifelong dream to keep it a viable business. We have both left our corporate jobs and poured everything into this restaurant with a vision-mission to open minds, broaden tastes, and enjoin everyone to embrace a culturally and culinarily diverse world.

Above all, we have existed as a business with a deeper sense of purpose. We have not only employed artists and students, but, especially, those in recovery and struggling out of drug addiction or alcoholism. We have made it our corporate social responsibility to make a social impact by giving jobs to the “Unloved,” without prejudice to the emotionally troubled, the depressed, the suicidal, the ex-offenders, recovering addicts or alcoholics.

But our purpose-driven dream may soon come to an end. We are now at risk of losing our modest home; we have spent all retirement savings on the business, and we are now drowning in debt. My husband and I work seven days a week, 12 to 16 hours a day, even as we are both pushing 60. We have saved on labor costs by doing everything ourselves – from operations, marketing, HR, accounting, to cooking, cleaning, prep, dishwashing – to the detriment not only of our waning health but also our staff and team who depend solely on us for their livelihood.

We continue to enjoy some support from loyal patrons, but we are in an industry in turmoil. A wave of restaurants is going bankrupt nationally, and we may very well soon face forced closure. Inflation, consumers with less disposable income and rising food and labor costs are only some of the issues that have combined to challenge our ability to run our business profitably. These, compounded by the lack of substantial rolling capital going into this business in the first place, not to mention 20-plus-year-old kitchen equipment breakdowns as well as unfortunate incidents that have cost us thousands and thousands of dollars in repair. Our external exhaust fans have been crashed into not once, not twice, but three times by delivery trucks, forcing the fire department to mandatorily shut us down for a few days without enough compensation from the big corporations responsible for the damage.

This is our last roll of the dice. At this stage of our lives and at our age, there is no do-over. Should we, God forbid, face any further "financial shock" such as a significant long-term care need, or a health issue, we would have no resources left to weather the storm. We will lose everything we have left if we lose this restaurant, including our modest home.

At the expense of whatever shred of pride and dignity that remains, we humbly implore your heart of hearts to help with whatever is within your means to raise a target of $125,000 for the following:

• $100,000 to pay off personal loans & credit card debts incurred to run the business, and balance of the initial purchase of the business from the previous owner.

• $25,000 for kitchen equipment and restaurant upgrade and repairs.

Your every donation will be matched with a 20% food credit for you or for the food bank or charity of your choice.

For almost two years now, Eurasia by Chef Michel has offered global flavors and a one-of-a-kind dining experience to the Prescott, Arizona community. Positive reviews on Prescott’s Facebook food groups, Google and Yelp attest to the uniquely positive dining experiences our patrons have had. Through its masterful French Chef with his unorthodox proficiency in both European and Asian cuisines, Eurasia’s patrons have enjoyed dishes from countries Chef Michel had worked in for over 30 years across major cities, hotels and resorts in Europe and Asia. Eurasia has won two awards since its opening, voted the Daily Courier’s Choice for Chinese, Thai and other Eastern cuisines and voted Prescott Now Magazine’s Best of Yavapai Chinese Restaurant.

We thank you in advance for all your kindness and generosity to keep Eurasia alive. May God bless you back abundantly in good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over!