Hi all, I'm fresh out of school with my bachelors degree in Culinary Arts, I'm currently Sous Chef at a restaurant on the east end of Long Island. Next November I plan to move down to the Rincon area for the busy season with two other friends. I love to surf and being in the water so I'm not looking for the type of cooking job I have now (long hours and never getting much of a chance to be outside), I started coming down to Rincon when I was in middle school and have loved every visit I'm very comfortable with the area and finding my way around and understand there is more affordable living in towns surrounding Rincon. One of my talents is I've been fairly successful performing pop up dinners for up to 15 guests by myself and I was thinking if there are boats that take guests out for a sunset sail around the island, perhaps I could cook dinners for them to enjoy on the boat. I'm starting to ramble, basically I'm just looking for advice on moving down to the area and if anyone knows someone I should talk to for some awesome culinary opportunities!
Cheers
Conor
Rincon foodies
Congrats on your degree and welcome to the forum! Someone may come along and offer some suggestions, best of luck!
Thank you!
Are you going to be dependent on the money that you might make or would it be a nice extra?
If you would need the income do you have enough savings to cover the trip, a down payment for an apartment or house, expenses for a couple of couple of months and your return ticket?
If it would be a nice extra I guess you should try to find a place with a kitchen that's good enough to "do your thing" and then hook up with people who organize parties, boat trips etc.
One way or another, trying to get something going will involve a lot of hard work and it will take quite some time before you make a profit. Keep in mind that for catering food you will need a license and permit(s). I wouldn't be surprised if the licensing authorities will require taking a course (and that will be in Spanish).
Maybe it's a plan to contact restaurant owners in the area and see if they need seasonal help. That would get you in to the local scene which in turn will improve your chance to successfully start something on your own account.
Starting a business is not easy (I know, BDDT I've been self-employed for almost 30 years) and starting a business in a foreign country (I know, PR is USA but it is a foreign country in many respects) is even harder.
The culinary scene in PR is highly competitive. Rincon is no exception. Chances are there is someone already doing what you have in mind and are well established. Lots of restaurants and creative chefs are offering a multitude of creative services. Do some investigating. Hopefully you have some connections there as it is extremely difficult getting anything at all done without knowing some people, especially if you are gringo. Getting proper lisencing and permits is a long arduous process. Gary's suggestion sounds good. Just try to find a job in your field. That way you can make connections over time and maybe eventually do what you want. Nothing gets done quickly or easily in PR.
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