Simon's got pasta power

Pasta Gourmet cooks up a storm

A passion for food, knowledge and persistence were the main ingredients to get Simon's business off the ground.

Now, nearly one year on, this chef-turned-entrepreneur and his wife Viviane are starting to cook up a storm with his new company, Pasta Gourmet, established with the support of Invest Northern Ireland's Go for it programme.

"We moved back to Northern Ireland after 10 years living in southern Brazil, which has a large Italian community and where we learned to make fresh, hand-made pasta from scratch," says Simon.

"As pasta lovers, we ate ravioli regularly and always thought that it would be a great idea to make it more widely available in Northern Ireland – but with some big differences to what's already on offer. The ravioli we make is all handmade, bigger in size and with more fillings and flavours than we've seen anywhere else."

Trained chef Simon had originally thought of opening up a fresh pasta shop but after researching the market, decided to open a small business unit dedicated to supplying the catering trade directly. "It made much more sense and it means we can reach even more pasta-lovers over a wider area."

Although the canny couple had experience running businesses before – an Irish pub and an Indian takeaway in Brazil – Simon says signing up for the Go for it programme was an essential step in their realising their plans.

"Everything we learned made us more confident about what we were doing. Crucially, it made us aware of all the important laws, rules and regulations related to the food business here, as well as all the other important areas – tax, business planning, health and safety issues and managing cash."

So has the move proved worthwhile?

"Owning your own business can be extremely challenging but rewarding at the same time and it's great being your own boss," he says. "The business we have now means we no longer work nights, which means more time at home with the kids."

The Go for it Programme is provided by Invest Northern Ireland and is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund. For details, log on to www.goforitni.com.