Bravo Maine

Justine Corbi wanted to join the Maine culinary scene in her own way: by creating a culinary learning experience. Her business Bravo Maine is open to children and adults at all stages of cooking experience and teaches them to cook authentic meals from all over the globe. While still living in France, she needed assistance getting this business started. That’s when she turned to Susan Desgrosseilliers at the Maine SBDC. 

The two discussed her dreams to come to Maine to open this exciting business, how to formulate a business plan, and find a space in which she could offer her classes.  Susan connected her to multiple resources including Fork Food Labs in Portland to begin offering classes there.  The two formulated a business plan for Bravo Maine that would allow Justine to implement the steps to be successful, access funding if needed, and establish accounts with vendors. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Justine now has a solid student base, has outgrown her initial space and has her own location dedicated to Bravo Maine.

Susan Degrosseilliers was a precious help in my journey to create and open a business in Maine. Originally from France, the process to create a business is not the same as in USA and Susan was here for me to explain all the subtleties and mandatory steps I need to follow in order to succeed in my project. Susan is reliable, patient, and invests a lot of time with her clients to help them grow and succeed.