Cleary Gottlieb advised pro bono client Carmen Rivera in the formation of Carmencita’s Kitchen & Catering LLC, which offers home-made soul food meals and catering orders curated to taste just like your “grandma’s home cooking.”
Ms. Rivera was inspired by her sons to formalize her business model when they realized the number of friends coming over for home-cooked meals was increasing steadily by the day. Carmencita’s Kitchen & Catering LLC was formed in the state of New York on January 22, 2018.
Ms. Rivera was referred to Cleary through the Food Business Pathways Program at Start Small Think Big (SSTB), a not-for-profit organization that partners with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Office of Resident Economic Empowerment & Sustainability, the New York City Department of Small Business Services and the New York City Economic Development Corporation, among others to assist NYCHA public housing residents and Section 8 voucher holders in formalizing and growing their nascent food businesses.
Since the program’s inception in late 2015, Cleary attorneys have assisted 30 Food Business Pathways clients, providing guidance and support to them as they navigate their next legal steps.