Maine is well known for its unique and pristine food offerings, especially in Southern Maine. Justine Corbi wanted to join the Maine culinary scene in her own way: by creating a culinary learning experience open to children and adults at all stages of cooking experience. This would be an opportunity for anyone to learn how to cook delicious, authentic meals and delights featuring tastes from all over the globe. This was the inspiration for Bravo Maine!
Living in France, she needed assistance getting this exciting business endeavor officially started. That’s when she turned to Susan Desgrosseilliers at the Maine Small Business Development Center. 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.
After officially opening Bravo Maine in March 2020, Justine had to immediately find ways to transition according to the health implications of COVID-19. She offered a combination of online international cooking classes and safe in-person private classes abiding to the health guidelines. Despite the challenges and timing, Justine has persevered. She now has a solid student base, outgrew her initial space and has her own space dedicated to Bravo Maine offering many more classes!
Justine comments, “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 invest a lot of time with her clients to help them grow and succeed.”
To View Justine’s amazing work at Bravo Maine check out her website and Facebook