Cornet Custard, a Portland dessert shop owned by Mika Paredes, faced unexpected challenges due to the Trump Administration's impacts on federal agencies. After a successful grant application to the USDA, the grant program was unexpectedly frozen, threatening the shop's financial stability. Paredes rallied support from local politicians and supporters, leading to the reactivation of her grant and financial relief. This experience highlights the vulnerabilities of small businesses in navigating federal bureaucracies and emphasizes the importance of community support.
The grant worked on a reimbursement basis, meaning that, unfortunately, Paredes had already spent the money. So, she did the only thing she could think to do: She called all her local politicians and asked her fans to do so, too.
So she decided to apply for a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture and got accepted. Then, USDA froze the department's grant program earlier this year, all at once, throwing Cornet Custard into financial limbo and national controversy.
Remarkably, within a few weeks, the grant was taken off ice: She got her money back. Here, Paredes reflects on the wild experience and what small business owners can do when the new administration turns its Sauron's eye toward them.
Paredes, who will also lead the kitchen at Pomeroy's final French bistro restaurant project L'Échelle, says the summer following the opening was "turbulent."
Collection
[
|
...
]