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Success Stories

Pirate Chef LLC

“Aurora-South Metro SBDC gave us the empowerment, guidance, and connections to realize our dream of owning our own business with sustainability.”

Ian and Vanessa Reeves believe that sharing good food is the best
way to show love.  Pirate Chef specializes in bespoke catering, private parties, in home, and corporate dining. Taking experience from lives well-lived, they bring their clients a gastronomic encounter unlike any other.   Their business venture has been a longstanding dream, and they can’t wait to share it with you!

Ian, also known as Pirate Chef, has been cheekily operating pop-ups under this name since 2012. He hails from Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK. His love for cooking
began at age nine helping his mother make family meals. He honed his skills at
various well known gastro pubs in the west country of England and London. After moving up and down the east coast working for the likes of Stephen Starr and the Mandarin Oriental hotel group, he landed in Denver in 2019 and was the Head Chef at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. He transitioned to crafting menus for his own business.

Vanessa has varied front-of-house experience in event management and restaurants. Her main professional background is in higher education and museums.  Prior to moving to Denver, she held various roles supporting private and nonprofit organizations with process improvement, which is a great skill to add to the small business mix.

From the success of their delicious breakfast burritos, chicken pot pies and shepherd’s pie, they realized they could launch something full time, opting for a ghost kitchen with three different menus plus catering.  Opening Pirate Chef in August 2021, the Reeves quickly pivoted strictly into catering and have found their footing and market.  The Aurora-South Metro SBDC consultant helped them make an objective decision to make this transition by looking at the numbers and influencer features.

The SBDC also helped Pirate Chef hone their business plan. “The introductions that were made through the SBDC, including funding and market research resources, not to mention the encouragement, is incalculable.  The program is our backbone when we need advice or thoughts on decisions.” 

Pirate Chef received an SBA-approved loan to support their growth.  They are now in the process of hiring their first part-time employee and received their first large contract.  The goal is to keep growing, and while doing so, be a part of the local diverse Aurora community, donating to Project Worthmore quarterly, an immigrant/refugee charity.  The sky’s the limit for 2023.

Food is life and everyone needs it.  So, check out Pirate Chef, www.piratecheffood.com, enjoy some good food and live a little while you’re at it!  (above photo credit: From the Hip)

grandmas
Grandma’s Rockin’ Rolls

It was Laura Neilson’s grandmother who spent hours teaching her children and grandchildren how to bake – while sharing life lessons and family stories. Grandma and her sister-in-law sold cinnamon rolls ‘in town’ to help supplement the farming income. Can you image the commute on horseback during the depression in a Minnesota winter?! Laura had been making Grandma’s rolls and giving them as gifts and holiday treats for over 30 years. But as Laura’s career

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Prieto’s Catering

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Havana Street Tattoo and Legacy Tattoo Collective

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ContractsRx

ContractsRx is on a mission to make legal contracting seamless, accessible and repeatable.  Shannon Leonard and Ramon Rhymes, co-founders, make it their aim to reduce the time, cost and risk associated with business contracting and business outcomes. The abrupt uncertainty that COVID-19 brought to ContractsRx and other small businesses resulted in an overnight shift from the known to the unknown.  While Shannon and Ramon are fortunate to be in a technology industrywith the tools in place to work at home, they

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Trunk Nouveau | Squadron

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Rustic Nomads

Starting a business in 2020—during the COVID-19 pandemic—has been a journey to say the least, but the owner of Rustic Nomads, Nathan Wiersum, will have bragging rights for life.   “The support received from the SBDC is why I continue to move .” With a loan from DreamSpring to purchase a food truck, the rest of the business has been self-funded.  Originally, the plan was to grow into a restaurant as soon as possible.  With the pandemic, goals were reevaluated.  The

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