The Staten Island Business Podcast: Recent Episodes
John M Perez
A podcast focused on featuring Staten Island's business, their founders, and up and coming entrepreneurs from the North Shore, South Shore and all parts of Staten Island. Hosted by John Perez (Founder of CRM Experts Online), and local technology entrepreneur.
Best restaurants on Staten Island in 2022, according to Michelin
In the realm of legit restaurant evaluations, the Michelin Guide is considered the most prestigious. A mere mention of a business can launch a small-town eatery into a stratosphere shared globally by fellow illustrious establishments. Staten Islanders have three such locations in their midst, all on the North Shore, under the designation of Bib Gourmand.
And such it is for Enoteca Maria of St. George, Sagara Food City of Tompkinsville and VINUM of Stapleton. The trio will maintain their previously designated statuses for 2022.
Enoteca Maria -- 27 Hyatt St., St. George
Michelin inspectors called out owner Joe Scaravella and his cookbook, “Nonna’s House: Cooking and Reminiscing with the Italian Grandmothers of Enoteca Maria” (Atria Books, 2015), co-authored with Elisa Petrini. It also said, “With its Carrara marble and lively vibe, most foodies flock here for a certain authenticity that is rarely sacrificed.” It noted the world-wide cooking of its rotating nonnas in particular “Nina from Belarus” plus two staple dishes named for their architects Lasagna di Adelina and torta di vaniglia di Melissa.
Enoteca means “wine bar” in Italian. There are Italian staples on the menu that have evolved since the restaurant opened in 2007 with different a different nonna from Italy each night. The “Nonnas of the World” regimen was launched in 2015.
Sagara -- 98 Victory Blvd., Tompkinsville
During COVID, the Sri Lankan spot switched over from an ala carte format to pickup only. It now operates its kitchen with a grocery store in the former seating area. The restaurant takes its name from co-owner Sagara Hewabajgamage. He and wife Anuradh tend the restaurant with a small staff — Chef Sanjeewa Warusavithana and Sunil Peiris in the kitchen.
Michelin says, “Visit Sri Lanka by way of Sagara, where the island nation’s rich cultural diversity is on full display.” They recommend fish cakes, mas paan, and fritter-like dhal vade” and the hearty entrees. It calls dishes “compelling” with high praise for lamprais, a meal served wrapped in a banana leaf with vegetables, protein, plantains, a fish cutlet and eggplant.
VINUM — 704 Bay St., Stapleton; 718-448-8466, Vinumnyc.com
The guide calls VINUM a “bijou” with kudos for wines by the glass and the unexpected decor which makes it feel like an osteria in Italy.
It notes, “The menu is designed for sharing, making the salumi and cheese platters a prevalent choice....Chef Massimo Felici’s passion for baking and pastries is clear in the house-made breads, and carries through to desserts that are worth getting excited over.” Compliments come for specials and a shout out that “every item is made with equal care and authenticity.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was sued by a group of small business owners who say requiring all customers and employees to show proof of vaccination against Covid will severely impact their livelihoods. In this podcast we interview some of the Staten Island business owners in this case, and give you a business owners and lawyers perspective on whether this is unconstitutional or not. Interview with Bill and Jess of Do Me A Favor in Staten Island, Jeanette Rivera, and lawyer Ronald Berutti.
In this podcast, John M Perez details all the local North Shore Restaurant experiences you should try for outdoor dining. Here is the full list just in case you want to get out and eat, instead of hear his suggestions on each and what to expect.
Top Places to Dine Outside in the North Shore of Staten Island
- Vinum
- Flagship Brewery
- Ohenrys Public House
- Flour & Oak
- Daddy's Ohs BBQ (Pickup only)
- Besos
- Empire Outlets
- The Blue Restaraunt
- Ruddy & Dean
- Hop Shoppe
- Jays By The Bay in Rosebank
- Craft House
1. Express Bridge Loans from The SBA Website: sba.gov/LenderMatch
Financing type: Quick turnaround advance on an Economic Disaster Loan
Funding Limit: $25,000
Who it's for: US small businesses and non-profits waiting to receive a Disaster Loan
- New York City Hall Website: nyc.gov/covid19biz
Zero-interest loans Financing type: Loan
Funding limit: $75,000
Who it's for: Businesses with fewer than 100 employees with sales decrease of 25%
Payroll grant Financing type: Grant
Funding Limit: 40% of payroll costs for two months
Who it's for: Businesses with fewer than five employees
- Downtown Alliance New York Small Business Rental Assistance Grant Website: downtownny.com/RentAssistGrant
Financing type: rental assistance grants
Funding limit: $10,000; Total fund is $800,000
Who it's for: Essential small businesses in New York City, must have fewer than 20 employees, be located on a ground floor, gross annual revenue below $1.5 million, and have a lease through December 31, 2020.
- Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Bring Back Brooklyn Fund Website: bringbackbrooklyn.org
Financing type: zero-interest loans
Funding limit: Expected to be $30,000; Currently raising funds with a goal of $500,000
Who it's for: Small businesses in Brooklyn that have been hurt by the pandemic and have been shut out of other loan programs, and that plan to reopen. The majority of loans are for minority- and women-owned businesses, and funding will only begin after the economy begins to re-open.
Take a look at a behind the scenes audio where Michael Perina of 3D Assembyl combined forces with 5050 Skatepark and YouthBuild Staten Island to help curve the pandemic. Through the partnership we were able to assemble 5,000+ face shields for first responders and nurses.
With the generosity of friends, family, community and even strangers, Michael Perina led the charge to have been able to help thousands during this stressful time. This audio interview shows what the Staten Island community can do to come together and look out for each other.
This web to audio article was brought to you by SILive.Com. How restaraunts in Staten Island are bringing the In Restaraunt experience to you with Zoom. Learn how Massimo Felici of VINUM (VinumNYC.com) brought the in restaurant wine and food pairing experience into a curated work at home experience.
Here is a rundown of over 50 Staten Island Businesses open on the North Shore during COVID. John M Perez opens up the show and introduces his co host Joe, an Artificial Intelligent cohost powered by Amazon Polly. This automated web article to audio podcast integration was done by CRMExpertsOnline.
Is your business overpaying for Expensive software during the COVID crisis? Do you need to cut costs on your cloud based tools? In this episode I go over the Top FREE Open Source Alternatives to Zoom, Salesforce, Hubspot, Microsoft Office, Trello, Shopify, and much more!
Learn how to replace all the software apps below in this episode:
- Salesforce
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Project
- Trello
- Slack
- Shopify
- Team Viewer
- Google Drive
- Amazon S3 Storage
- Zapier
- Algolia Search
- Hubspot
- Google Analytics
- Github
- 1 Password
- Netsuite ERP
- Asana
- Digital Ocean/AWS
In this episode learn about the Top things all americans should consider pursuing under the CARES Act during the COVID19 crisis. If your unemployed, your a business owner, retired, or wondering how the CARES act can benefit you, then this show is for you.
In less than 5 minutes learn the latest news and scandal around the government's SBA Loans.
In this 4th Episode of The Staten Island Business Podcast, we talk to Real Estate Expert Joe Tirone, and Founder of Tri Star Mortgage Danny Saraf about the impact of COVID19 and the Real Estate Market. In this show host John speaks with Joe and Danny on the effects of Corona on Americans with real estate, and the future impact on the business of real estate.
- Did you skip your mortgage payments with your bank? Learn the pros and cons of doing this.
- If your a 1st Time home buyer, learn what you have to do to ensure you close.
- If your an existing home owner, learn all about the requirements you need to have in order to refinance.
- Is now the right time to invest?
- Learn what you have to do to survive in the real estate market if your in it!
The housing market had a good start to the year. But The pandemic and virus-fighting measures appear to be disrupting that initial momentum as both buyers and sellers adopt a more cautious posture. Real-estate firms have taken steps to brace for the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, while banks are implementing stricter guidelines for home buyers and refinancers.
In this episode John Perez runs through the Top 10 Financial Resources a Business can tap into during the COVID19 Crisis. Learn all about the financial grants, loans, and credits available to business owners who have been impacted by the COVID19 Crisis. Download the Top 10 Financial Resources for Small Businesses During COVID19 guide.
- Payroll Protection Program
- Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)
- EIDL Grant
- Express Bridge Loan
- SBA Debt Relief
- Deferral payments for employer payroll taxes
- NYC Small Business Continuity Loan Fund
- Facebook Small Business Grants Program
- The Red Backpack Fund
- Google Adwords & GSuite Upgrades
We caught up with Michael Perina in an exclusive interview in our Stapleton Offices. Michael is the Founder of a 3D printing company called Assembyl 3D. Learn about what he does for the Staten Island community including printing a new prosthetic arm for a nine-year-old Staten Island boy. He recently turned his focus to making protective medical gear. With the help of the non-profit Staten Island MakerSpace, he came up with a plan to print plastic face shields to help combat the Corona Virus.
In this 1st episode of the Staten Island Business Podcast we interview Entrepreneur, Real Estate Expert and Staten Island Community advocate Joe Tirone. Learn all about how Staten Island was over 25 years ago, the history of Port Richmond's shopping experience, Real Estate in Staten Island, and Much more.