Help Chef Michael Start an Italian Restaurant

Over the last 15 years, I have visited and worked in many cities throughout the United States but none of them have given me a sense of home more than Portland, Maine. It's almost as if the Portland community and I share a similar DNA - we are a hardworking, proud group of folks.  We care about our neighborhoods as well as our home. Much like my Grandfather, who owned and operated Noe & Sons Produce, I want to open a business within a community whose fabric is woven with the same principles and interests as my own. 

I started working in restaurants as a dishwasher 23 years ago and have been working feverishly on building my craft ever since. I believe my time has come to tell my story and I am eager to express my passion for Italian cuisine to Portland and beyond. I'm earnest in my belief that what I have to tell through food, and the experience I want to curate, is something unique and considerable. The fundamental lessons I learned as a dishwasher, and eventually working in Michelin-rated restaurants, as well as my memories of sharing meals with my Grandfather have all made me who I am today.  I can’t imagine a better way to pay it forward than to share similar feelings of nostalgia, simplicity, and warmth with my neighbors.  More than ever, I want this restaurant to bring friends and families back to the dinner table. What is a better facilitator for that than a house-made bowl of pasta?  I hope that our humble, sincere Italian restaurant will be this escape for people.  

The name of the restaurant will be Topolina and the target market is Portland, ME with a projected opening date of not earlier than July 1, 2021. (Loosely translated and in honor of my daughter Josephine, Topolina is Italian for “Little Mouse”, an endearing term for one's daughter.) This of course assumes a relaxing of COVID fears and an opportunity to satisfy pent-up demand for dining outside the home.  I am very fortunate to have a small but highly experienced group of chefs and restaurant owners providing valuable suggestions for this undertaking. In addition, my wife’s uncle is a CPA who is providing a great deal of my business plan’s details. We are seeking $25,000 over the next few months primarily for startup costs (i.e. space build-out, ovens, tables, rent deposits, working capital, etc.). This amount would augment my personal investment along with a bank loan and complete the funding required to open. 

While it is not likely, especially in the near term, that an investment will earn a large return, we are hoping that potential investors will share the joy of helping a talented chef, with a solid business acumen, achieve his dream.  Our humble gratitude will be evident in the monthly newsletter we plan to produce which will detail the progress on this passionate journey.  It may also include some of my special recipes like rigatoni with Amatriciana sauce or semolina dinner rolls! And for the serious investor that is also a “foodie”, perhaps I can show my gratitude by giving a cooking class in your home.

For anyone seriously interested in providing an investment for this venture, we can provide a very detailed 3-year Business Plan, including an executive summary, marketing and exit strategies, competition analysis, the first 2 years results by month, etc.