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Prize-winning entrepreneur students open Paris restaurant

Published on 09 September 2018

Four multiple prize-winning MSc Entrepreneurship & Innovation graduates have now opened their fast-food restaurant in the heart of Paris, as well as winning €10 000 in prize money in their latest contest success.

After winning the Challenge Pépite France for student entrepreneurs, the Prix Banque Populaire in 2017 and the 100 Jours Pour Entreprendre contest, Antony Giordano, Ava Maisani Casanova, Charles Cagnac and Alexandre Rafaitin can boast a successful track record. These young entrepreneurs who together, founded the restaurant Père & Fish, are graduates from SKEMA Business School’s MSc Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Since September 3, it is possible to taste their delicious burgers in their restaurant at 67 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière.

For this 31st edition of the contest, experts from the food industry made up the panel of judges for the Bourse Badoit with Michelin starred chef Thierry Marx as president. He was enthusiastic about the team and their project. "We were really impressed by your determination and the coherent business model, and you told us some great stories about food and cooking", the star chef declared. 

The four SKEMA graduates won first prize.

The prize-winners will receive €10 000 and a year of coaching in communication, cooking and management from members of the panel, including Thierry Marx and Hervé Cuisine. They will also get a years’ supply of Badoit/Evian® and a year’s subscription to Zenchef magazine. Other benefits include participation in the Emergence Concepts programme for restaurateurs and legal assistance from LegalVision Concepts.. 

The founders were motivated for this venture partly because they wanted to get involved in the sustainability and preservation of the marine ecosystem. That is why, while their idea was being incubated at SKEMA Ventures, they set up an innovative entrepreneurial model ensuring that the fish used at the restaurant is freshly produced as far as possible by sustainable fishing. The accompanying dishes also respect sustainable agriculture. That is why, when you eat a fishburger at Père & Fish, not only are you getting the best taste, but you are also doing your bit for the ecosystem. 

"In September 2016, during a pitch-Kafé during the New Venture & Business plan course in the MSc Entrepreneurship & Innovation, I felt the idea’s potential and Antony’s capacity to gather the right talents for the project. The value proposition was simple, clear and based on an essential principle for entrepreneurship: will the idea be able to capture clients fast? Antony, Ava, Charles and Alexandre never stopped developing and improving their concept, going out in the field and testing it with specialists in the restaurant business and creating their first recipes. When you see the photos of the dishes and the design of the restaurant, you just want one thing – to go there! In short, this is a typical case of graduates applying what they learned at SKEMA and I must say we are incredibly proud of them." Enthuses Philippe Chéreau, director of the MSc Entrepreneurship & Innovation at SKEMA Business School. 

Follow the adventures of Père & Fish on Facebook


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