Chris Paul is a multi-hyphenate chef who is not only passionate about the use of seasonal and local ingredients to develop dishes, but also about helping usher in the next generation of entrepreneurial talent.
As a Program Manager, Mr. Paul has developed a custom entrepreneurial curriculum geared towards neighborhood food start-ups in Flatbush and serves as the lead instructor for the Community Business Academy, a 12-week business incubation program in partnership with Rising Tide Capital.
Mr. Paul also provides technical assistance for the market, working directly with vendors on business development, compliance, and best practices. He has also assisted in instructing a 10-week business fundamentals course customized for the needs of the market's Haitian vendors, who have provided an integral cultural and retail offering since its inception, and periodically assists with translating material (both written and verbal) from English to Haitian Creole.
Mr. Paul has further assisted the market in transitioning to the newly built facility including contributing to new vendors on-boarding, operations manuals, and inventory management. Mr. Paul also coordinated vetting and recruitment of food hall restaurant vendors, including orchestrating menu tastings, reviewing financials, verifying references, drafting P&L’s, and providing recommendations for their licensing agreements.
Prior to joining Urbane, Mr. Paul lead multiple culinary projects as a consultant, ServSafe Instructor at various restaurants, and culinary educator for the Free Library of Philadelphia. Mr. Paul developed Everything We Eat, later relaunched as Lakay, a catering company providing catering, cooking classes, and a roaming food truck serving Caribbean fusion.
Mr. Paul has had the opportunity of owning and operating several businesses, including a fast casual restaurant, fully equipped food truck, full-service catering company, small batch food manufacturer, a traveling pop-up restaurant series, and is invested in several hemp/ CBD brands.
Mr. Paul is currently an investor and board member at Destino Farms, Inc. a team of passionate alternative wellness distributors seeking out the best-in-class nootropics and plant-based supplements including CBD/Hemp. Destino Farms currently operates at 2 retail locations in Little Havana, Miami as well as a manufacturing site, wholesale facility and a thriving e-commerce website.
Mr. Paul holds a B.S. in Culinary Arts and a minor in Entrepreneurship from Drexel University.
