Chef Nicole Juliano Peranick”™s signature Recreate-A-Recipe service is the perfect antidote for fast food. It is, in fact, something of a culinary time machine, eager to take clients back to great-grandma”™s kitchen, recreating ancestral specialties down to the smallest measuring spoon or even making them gluten-free.
Peranick”™s business, With Love from the Cupboard Inc., joined two other startups recently as the first participants in FAME, the new Fairfield University business incubator, in its own modern office space above the school bookstore. FAME ”” Fairfield Accelerator and Mentoring Enterprise ”” is one of a dozen incubators in the state. It now appears on the Business Council of Fairfield County website beside the others as the “Shared Workspace Initiative” under the innovation and entrepreneurship tab.
“Recreate-A-Recipe was inspired by a close friend with celiac disease who missed being able to enjoy her favorite Italian desserts from the famous Arthur Avenue in the Bronx,” Peranick said. “Fusing my Italian-American grandmother”™s recipes with macaron-making technique from training at The French Culinary Institute, I created my signature ”˜Italian Dessert Trio”™ of gluten-free French macarons ”” spumoni, rainbow cookie and tiramisu ”” so she could still savor these classic flavor combinations, without the worry.”
Peranick”™s two entrepreneurial counterparts had equally impressed incubator organizers for their places in FAME. Daphne Dixon”™s Conscious Decisions was chosen for bringing “green into mainstream” and helping create resilient communities; and Watt U Control (with principals former Fairfield University students Jamie Ramerini and Diego Mamani) was chosen for a manufacturing plan for power strips that can make any home or business “smart” for about $100, with no extra wiring. The Watt U Control effort earned special praise for its engineering component; the prototype is already built.
Beside a generous deal for the space from Kleban Properties and principals Ken and Al Kleban, FAME has also attracted nine corporate sponsors. Fairfield First Selectman Michael Tetreau, who addressed the crowd, emphasized the town”™s partnership in the initiative.
“The combination of the town, the university and the business community makes this a unique incubator,” said Dolan Business School Dean Donald F. Gibson.
“Certainly the idea is this can be a real engine of growth for Fairfield County and for the state,” said Jeffrey von Arx, the Jesuit president of Fairfield University. He said one principle was to “take advantage of the talent we have right here. Then, of course, we”™d love it if these businesses succeed and stay local and generate jobs.”
Associate Professor Christopher Huntley is a FAME adviser. He said eventually five businesses at a time will cycle through the incubator, using its physical and intellectual tools. “The key to this mission is to promote Fairfield County,” he said. “That might mean developing an idea that finds production or it might mean developing an idea that is sold as an idea.
“This is the practical end of how businesses start,” he said. “Starting small with a seed is the intent ”” start the seed and see how it grows.” Importantly, little startup capital is required for the enterprises and that is by design.
“We don”™t want to make a big monetary bet,” Huntley said. “We”™re looking to contribute to the economic health of the town.” As for any Donald Trump-like race to the top, Huntley said, “We”™re not looking to shark-tank this. The key to our mission is to promote Fairfield.”
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