A CNY group is trying to make it easier to open a food business by teaching the basics. The class teaches students everything from cooking specifics to business practices.

Perpetuanna Cazimir is an aspiring business owner taking the Salt City Market’s Start It! Class, which is geared toward learning the ins and outs of launching a successful food business. Cazimir is hoping to bring the taste of her home country of Haiti to New York, and statistics show that for students in the class, the odds may actually be in their favor.

While Cazimir said she’s used to cooking for her family, she doesn’t know the nuts and bolts of getting a business off the ground, which is why she enrolled in the course.

“I’m so excited to start my business, my food business,” she said.

Andy Obernesser, the organizer of the program and director of community investment at CenterState CEO, said the idea is to take an all-encompassing approach.

“Understanding some of the things that are in front of them in terms of financing, in terms of permitting, in terms of the other types of business services that they’re going to need in order to be successful,” he said.

Statistics on how tough it is to start a restaurant business are mixed; experts say one common figure in industry lore says 90% will fail in the first year, but studies don’t support that.

The National Restaurant Association estimates only a 30% failure rate, while a 2014 study using U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics claimed that only 17% of independently owned full-service restaurant businesses failed within the first year, leaving plenty of running room for business owners prepared to put in the work like Cazimir.

Bri Lastrina is the co-founder of SinBun, which creates savory varieties of cinnamon buns. She stresses she wouldn’t have gotten this far without taking the Salt City Market class in 2021.

“We were coming with only the concept,” she said. “I definitely don’t think we would have met the connections we have today if we had not gone through it. It was it was a really great experience.”

Cazimir said as soon as she completes the class, she’s ready to give it a go. 

“You can start whatever you want, so get some knowledge first to prepare you to do what you want,” she said.

Organizers say such classes are a win-win, helping new business owners thrive — particularly those from underserved communities — while also helping the local economy grow simultaneously. The program also helps business owners after the class and through their launch, under the condition they open their doors within the City of Syracuse.