This has been a month of incredible change at Edible! We recently announced that we are opening a second headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. This new office marks a huge step in our next phase of growth and I’m very excited to see how this helps Edible grow. Continue reading “Big News! Edible is expanding and opening a second HQ in Atlanta”
(0)There have been many high points over the course of my entrepreneurial journey, but I can’t think of any that compare to this past Sunday when I was honored with the International Franchise Association’s Hall of Fame Award.
To receive such an incredible honor was humbling.Not long ago I asked a good friend how he was doing and he said, “better than I deserve.” I thought that was an incredible response, and considering what many people are facing, I feel the same way. I am blessed. My LORD has been very merciful and I can never be thankful enough for His blessings.
Receiving the Hall of Fame award from Jay Duke and IFA Board Chair Shelly Sun.
As I was preparing for the ceremony, I couldn’t help but think of all those that have supported me and influenced me over the years. There are so many people to thank for helping me along the way. It is due to their kindness and generosity of others that I have been able to fulfill many of my dreams.
First, of course, were my wonderful mother and father and all my brothers and sisters.
As many of you know, I arrived with my family in this country as a young boy and we had very little. At 13, I got my first job at a flower shop thanks to the kindness of a small business owner named Charlie Farricielli. If not for him, I likely would have never have had the urge to become an entrepreneur.
Continue reading “Thank You! to all who made this journey possible”
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This month, Edible Arrangement employees from the home office in Wallingford gave back to the local community.
The team collected hats, scarfs and mittens for Manna Inc. Food Pantry & Resource Center in Wallingford (left.)
The team also donated money to support the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness ‘Be homeful’ campaign (center ) and others volunteered their time at the Connecticut Food Bank filling food boxes 
for hungry families (bottom left).
Proud so see the team spreading kindness and joy this holiday season.
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While the refugee crisis has captured news coverage, the state of Connecticut has received displaced people for several years. This story is about how an investment from several community philanthropists, including the Tariq and Asma Farid Foundation, are giving inspiration to eight refugees who are eager to become food entrepreneurs in New Haven.
The eight, who came from Syria, Afghanistan and Sudan, are participants in a new program called Kitchen Incubator, organized by CitySeed of New Haven. They are training to start a food business. The course also covers subjects in finance, marketing, legal and food safety.
Throughout the 10-week program participants are paired with an experienced mentor in small business management and have access to CitySeed’s commercial kitchen space for food preparation and testing.
On a recent Saturday morning, , participants were busy understanding product development. Working with their mentor, the participants reviewed the items needed for their own recipes and listed how many of each item was required.
“How many pounds of carrots will you need to buy if you make this dish to serve 10 people? What about the parsley and garlic for the tabouli, how much?” asked the mentor as he typed the ingredients into a spreadsheet.
“Three pounds, four bunches of parsley and three cloves,” replied the woman.
Using the spreadsheet, participants could see the volume of food they need to buy while understanding how to set prices for the product they would eventually sell. Future lessons include labeling, food safety and testing products with local chefs.
“Food brings cultures and people together,” observed Asma Farid, director of the Farid Foundation. “We hope participants get training and confidence to become food entrepreneurs and hopefully launch their own businesses.”
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The holiday season is upon us and I’m taking a moment to reflect and share how Edible and employees from my companies have supported our communities this year.
The 3-foot tall, 65-pound Incredible Edible® donated to the Eli Whitney Museum’s Leonard in Bloom Challenge (bottom right), took me back to my roots. The artists who took part in the Challenge submitted work focused on the beauty of flowers. As you know, it was flowers which seeded my inspiration to design the fresh fruit arrangements.
I am proud of the team’s compassion and generosity to build a better future for our community. It’s true that happiness and peace can be found in acts of kindness.
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