R.I. nonprofit a boost to culinary dreams
Lisa Raiola has changed the face of small businesses in Rhode Island. That’s why the founder and president of Hope & Main in Warren, is USA TODAY’s Woman of the Year for the Ocean State.
Ten years ago, when Hope & Main opened its doors in an old school building in Warren, a new chapter began for culinary entrepreneurship in the state. Cooks and food artisans with a product and a dream now had a home, not just to cook, but also to learn about business and develop a path to success. For a few thousand dollars, they could walk into the former school building and start cooking.
The nonprofit agency has helped launch 500 food businesses, 40% of which are minority-owned, with immigrants from Haiti, Mexico and Israel among them. Sixty percent are women owners. Not all businesses survive, but 45% of them remain open and viable.
Nurturing new businesses, especially with minority owners, brings economic mobility that helps the community while leading to individual success. “Ownership is transformative,” she said, “especially to immigrants.”
Hope & Main launched a restaurant and marketplace a year ago in Providence. They are at work on a second building in the city that will have as many kitchens as the Warren incubator, which is busy 24/7 with members cooking for their businesses. Two years ago they had 150 applications for the incubator program. Last year it was 300.
In 2021 Raiola, 60, got a grant to create “resto-entrepreneurs.” It helped Hope & Main producers package their products for placement in local grocery stores. Hope & Main holds weekly summer markets in their “schoolyard.” They participate in the Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream, which has brought thousands of dollars to their members to advance their businesses and get promotional help.
After 10 years, it’s clear Raiola has paid it forward to hundreds of smallbusiness owners who can launch their dream. Her success breeds more success. And it tastes good, too.
Question: What is your proudest moment?
Answer: Hope & Main could not have happened without a vote of the citizens of Warren, Rhode Island, because we were purchasing a public building from the town. We needed 125 folks to come out and vote for our project, so we went door to door to ask for support for an idea that was totally novel. When 425 people showed up – that’s 7% of all registered voters in the town – that was my moment. That is when I realized that Hope & Main did not belong to me anymore. I could not have felt more proud to deliver this project on behalf of anyone who has ever wanted to launch a dream.
Do you have a lowest moment?
All the times I should have said something and didn’t! A word of encouragement, or kindness, or apology. The ones I say and the ones I don’t. I’m learning, though. It’s never too late to say them.
How do you overcome adversity?
It’s like the shot you miss in basketball. It hurts to not score, not to win. But getting it wrong is the first step to getting it right. The best you can do is stay in the game.
What is your definition of courage?
Knowing what you are about to say or do isn’t popular ... and doing it. Leadership isn’t a beauty contest.
Is there a guiding principle or mantra you tell yourself ?
Grow where you are planted. There isn’t a perfect job, or a perfect relationship. There is only where you are in any given moment. I like to be useful and leave whatever I encounter in life better than I found it.
Who did or do you look up to?
Arlene Violet was a first in Rhode Island and the nation, the first female attorney general. She was and still is willing to take on anything and anyone, including the mob, at enormous risk to herself, if she thinks it will tip the scales of justice for the little guy.