Bravo Maine

Hello everyone! 

I am Justine, single owner of Bravo Maine! A small business located in Portland, Maine. I arrived from  France with the dream of sharing my passion for food in America. I love Maine for its nature, the laid-back culture, the people, and the growing foodie scene!

I created Bravo Maine ! a year ago, with hopes of bringing a new experience for Mainers,  become part of the growing foodie scene, and give back to this community that welcomed me 4 years ago when I first came in, by hiring some of their talented chefs and sourcing local as much as possible.
Bravo Maine ! has been one of the most affordable 100% hands-on cooking class events in the Portland area and we want to continue bringing this unique experience to our guests at a reasonable price.

Covid 19 hit small businesses very hard and Bravo Maine ! was no exception, and to safely continue operating we want to implement new stricter protocols to ensure the safety of our chefs and guests.  
In order to achieve our new stricter protocols, we found a new, larger location in the Portland area at 64 Pine Street which used to be a well-known spot.

Unfortunately, our new location still needs a lot of work and we have been hit hard with a lot of issues just before the opening :

- 3 water leaks
- 2 ovens breakdown
- heat breakdown
- 1 fridge breakdown
- painting all the kitchen due to damaged ceiling 
- hood exhaust system cleaning due to not well maintenance before our arrival
We needed 1 month of repairs and hard cleaning to be able to assure safety and the best experience for our guests.

In addition to these issues, the Covid19 crisis impacted us as many businesses everywhere in the USA:

- no operation from March 2020 to June 2020, December 2020, and January 2021
- classes reduce to 8/10 guests where we need at least 12 guests to survive

As a non-American business, I'm not eligible ( me or my business ) for any loan, government help,  covid19 relief program, or unemployment help.

Our goal is $6000 and will be used for repair bills, a new fridge, and save money for future needs or in case of a new shutdown.
Your help will greatly help us to continue offering cooking classes to guests of all ages and backgrounds in our new location.

I want to thank you, my amazing Chefs, who are following me in this adventure since the beginning, and also the guests who trust us and encourage us every day to continue to bring fun and safe cooking classes.

Thank you very much and see you in the Kitchen!