Six culinary entrepreneurs get two minutes to convince four judges that their dream is destined for success. The stakes? A shot at $10,000 and a huge boost to their blossoming businesses.

The drama writes itself, and the contestants no doubt felt the heat during a sweltering Wednesday evening at Hope & Main’s second annual Pitch Room Competition, part of a six-week competition in partnership with the Sam Adams “Brewing the American Dream” program, which provides coaching and awards grants and loans to burgeoning small business owners.

“It is a little bit like ‘Shark Tank’ meets ‘Chopped’ in Rhode Island. It is such a great opportunity for exposure for our food-preneurs,” said Lisa Raiola, founder and president of Hope & Main in Warren. “The event brings high visibility to Rhode Island's vibrant, growing, and diverse food economy, powered by small businesses."

The competition was held live at Hope & Main’s headquarters, a welcome change from last year’s Covid-restricted remote event. A crowd gathered inside to watch each entrepreneur give their pitch and hear feedback and questions the judges — comprised of Gail Ciampa, food editor for the Providence Journal, Brenden Kirby from the ‘Rhode Show’, Marisol Vasquez from Centreville Bank, and Jennifer Glanville, Master Brewer for Sam Adams Boston Brewer.

A well-rounded group of pitchers
Contestants this year spanned the full range of small business entrepreneurs, from those who just began their business a few weeks ago, to some who have opened brick and mortar shops, and those who are more well-established with a growing presence in big-name stores.

Martha Tsegaye, an Ethiopian native and creator of Ethiopian Eats, was first at the plate. Inspired by her children to turn her passion for cooking into an opportunity for a career, she served up traditional Ethiopian foods, including a thin, authentic flatbread with lentil stew. “We have made this for thousands of years,” she told the judges. Her pitch was to be able to sell the native delicacies in ready-to-heat packages for a quick, grab-and-go type business.

Pablo Mastandrea went next, sharing with the judges his ultimate life goal — creating the perfect empanada. The chase started, he said, with a ham and cheese empanada he enjoyed at five years old, made lovingly with a sprinkle of sugar on top from his grandmother.

Mastandrea said his goal would be to use the $10,000 to get a food truck or trailer to expand his brand and eventually open a brick and mortar. “The best thing about empanadas is they are fun, people love them, they want to experience them, and they want to share them with everybody,” he said.

Next was Katie Potter, owner of the Newport Chowder Company. Established from deep roots of chowder success, Potter’s mother, Muriel, owned Muriel’s restaurant in Newport for 14 years before retiring in 1999. Her mother’s chowder won top honors at the Newport Chowder Festival three consecutive years before they asked her to give someone else a chance at winning.

“If you were to ask her, at 92 years old, she would say ‘My chowder is the chowder of the century,’” Potter told the judges, clarifying that the chowder was seafood chowder, authentic to her mother’s Nova Scotia origins, and not the classic New England clam chowder you may be thinking of.

Potter has been operating a food truck for the past year, and said she moved 500 gallons of chowder in just the past 10 weeks. The interesting approach she has taken is to create an all-in-one bag of the secret spice blend used by her mother, which comes with a recipe for customers to make their own chowder at home, using whatever seafood variety they may want.

By far the newest business, chocolatier and owner of Hawt Chocolate, Miguel Allis, pitched next. As a member of the LGBTQ community, a person of color, and an immigrant, Allis told the judges that he would use the money to purchase some necessary equipment in the hopes of growing the business and inspiring other minorities to start their own businesses.

“Ultimately, I would love for someone that looks like me to see me do what I am doing, and think to themselves, ‘If he can do it, I can do it.’ Because that is what representation is about,” he said.

Considering he just started a little over a month ago, the judges were impressed with the chocolate quality, but also the presentation of Hawt Chocolate’s product — nestled in a sleek box.

“I’m afraid if I handed this to my girlfriend, she might think there was a ring inside. And I already disappoint her in so many other ways,” joked judge Kirby.

Warren’s own GG’s Pretzels came next, with Bristol’s Gina Ferrara making true believers of the judges regarding the quality and variability of their specialty pretzels, which can satisfy any sweet or savory craving. Starting at Hope & Main, GG’s opened its brick and mortar on Metacom Avenue in Warren in June.

“These make Auntie Anne’s taste like some kind of student project,” raved Kirby, after biting into a soft pretzel.

Rounding out the contestants was Kathleen Bellicchi, via Zoom, who began Bellicchi’s Classic Biscotti after a passion grew from baking the crunchy cookies with her late husband, Eric, who passed away from early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2013. Since his passing, Bellicchi has grown the brand into a blossoming success, selling in 35 Whole Foods stores around the region with plans to expand into 100 stores within a year.

“I spent the last eight years going from exhilaration to terror and hitting every single spot in between,” she told the judges, adding that growth from 2020 to 2022 was at 82%. She also had perhaps the most unique food concept, with plans to release a THC-laden biscotti this autumn.

And the winners are…
After deliberating, the judges came back to announce that The Perfect Empanada and the Newport Chowder Company had been declared the two winners — giving them the chance to compete for the ultimate $10,000 prize during the Hope & Main Twilight Party on Sept. 10. Party attendees will vote to decide the winner.

It became apparent that Mastandrea’s energetic pitch, clear mission, and superior product won over the hearts of the judges.

“I know you have a vision here, which is a big part of this, to know where you’re going,” Kirby said of Mastandrea. “It’s delicious, you’ve got the passion, and dare I say it you have the recipe for success.”

Judges were also clearly impressed with Potter’s resoundingly well-received chowder product, as well as the interesting concept of her pre-made spice packet, which Ciampa was a big fan of.

“There’s so many weddings in Newport, this should be in every basket and in every hotel,” she said. “I would rather leave a wedding with something like this over nearly anything else.”

After the event, Raiola spoke highly of Sam Adams for their support of local small food businesses and to the contestants for putting themselves in the spotlight to chase their dreams.

“Sam Adams' support for emerging food and beverage entrepreneurs is truly remarkable. This mission sets them apart in the industry. Hope & Main is thrilled to bring their resources to our members,” she said. “Everyone who is part of the Pitch Room Competition has been so supportive — from our judges, to our sponsors like Centreville Bank and the Rhode Show, to our local food loyalists…These courageous food-preneurs have really put themselves out there and they deserve our support.”

You can purchase tickets for the Sept. 10 Twilight Party here.