Chef Sungchul Shim has experienced the highs and lows of working in the restaurant industry. Over the last 20 years, Chef Shim has worked his way up the ranks and ultimately opened his first restaurant, Kochi (“skewer” in Korean) in 2019 in Manhattan. And he didn’t stop there: he went onto found four more Manhattan-based restaurants in the coming years, each of which drew on his Korean heritage: Mari, which opened in 2021; Don Don Korean BBQ and MariNe Handroll Bar, which both opened in 2023; and most recently Gui Steakhouse.
R&D Foods, a specialty foods shoplocated in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, opened in May 2014and offers made-to-order sandwiches, vegetable-driven prepared foods, grocerystaples, and treats like old-fashioned cake donuts made fresh every morning.
Plaques by Azra, a Queens-based manufacturer and distributor of awards, was started over 50 years ago by Azra Khalfan-Kermali’s parents, AunAli & Shirin Khalfan, who immigrated from Tanzania. The couple ran the business, raised three children, and became highly involved in serving their local community. In 1997, Azra, the company’s namesake, joined the team. She now runs the bustling Plaques by Azra, building on the belief that awards and premium incentives are key to expressing appreciation for employees, donors, scholars, and customers.
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Husband and wife Jaeyeon Kim and Hyo Jung Kim, originally from Korea, operated a successful restaurant in Flushing, Queens and wanted to open another in Long Island City, but the pandemic set them back. However, the Kims persevered and named their new restaurant “Ziggle,” after the “sizzling” sound of a hot plate of food fresh out of the kitchen. In 2021, Mr. and Mrs. Kim received a loan from Renaissance providing working capital to support Ziggle’s start-up phase, and the restaurant successfully opened in October 2021.
Mr. Jin Yu Lin, originally from China, owned a business in his home country before immigrating to the U.S., where he started as a delivery person before opening Pho Grand in 1999 in Chinatown. Mr. Lin has been a Renaissance client since Pho Grand’s startup phase and this relationship continued through the pandemic, when Renaissance provided him with an emergency loan. Pho Grand is still thriving today thanks in part to its owner’s secret to success: “Stick to one thing and do it well!”
Ivan Arteaga and Olivia Allbe worked together as baristas for several years, but when the pandemic forced their coffee shop to close, they stepped up – by partnering with local restaurant owner David Hurtado and reinventing the coffee shop as Café Calaca, infusing it with Latin culture. Renaissance provided the co-owners a small business loan in July 2021 to support Café Calaca’s start-up operations. The trio’s secret to success so far? “Build your team first, and around that, build your business.”
“We didn’t know about all of these things (loan products, training, workshops) that are available. They have helped us to apply for small business loans. And this is very, very big. They helped us to get certified as a Minority and/or Women-owned Business Enterprise. We even closed a loan during the pandemic!”
“Renaissance care about small businesses, especially immigrants. We don’t know the culture and everything, They are always helpful, [helped us] work through everything little bit by little bit, and explained everything very detailed to you. Without their help, I don’t think we can stay and survived (the pandemic) until now.”
“I don’t have a lease and I’m a micro-business, but the business advisor from Renaissance was so patient, and professional. They helped me a lot. A great idea was behind Renaissance. It’s a wonderful institution that helps small businesses, like me.”
Manhattan Office:
2 Allen Street, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10002
Office#:(212) 964-6022
Flushing Office:
133-29 41st Avenue
Flushing, NY 11355
Office#: (718) 961-0888
Jackson Heights Office:
37-61 84th St.
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
Office#: (718) 316-9993
By Appointment Only
New Jersey Office:
111 Grand Avenue, Unit 216
Palisades Park, NJ 07650
Office#: (201) 409-0507
By Appointment Only
Email:
info@RenaissanceSBS.org
