“The reason for failure this go around would not be because of my failure as an operator. It wouldn’t be because I didn’t make the right choices or because I wasn’t proactive. It’s because there was a global pandemic that flattened the world.”

Gabriel Stulman, the Founder of Happy Cooking Hospitality in New York, originally planned on becoming a high school history teacher. After working multiple jobs at local bars and restaurants in his college town, he quickly fell in love with the industry and the community that he built within it. Now, Stulman owns and operates restaurants across New York City including: Jeffrey’s Grocery, Joseph Leonard, Bar Sardine, Fairfax, Fedora, The Jones, George Washington Bar, Simon & The Whale and Studio at The Freehand. Gabriel has been vocal about issues that he’s facing as a business owner during the Coronavirus Pandemic, including the challenges around commercial leases and obtaining loans. In this episode, we cover everything from Gabriel’s early beginnings to issues with the PPP loans to feeding NYC’s frontline workers.

Be sure to tune in and follow @gabestulman and @fromthegrounduppod on Instagram.