STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island’s own San Jeronimo Restaurant & Bakery has earned top marks in Santander Bank’s Cultivate Small Business program, demonstrating exceptional business acumen and growth potential among food entrepreneurs.
The program, launched in 2017, was created when Santander and its partners identified a gap in support for early-stage food businesses in under-resourced communities. Working with the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), they developed an immersive MBA-style education program delivered by the Wellesley, Mass.-based Babson College faculty.
Sarahi Marquez-Sanchez, the owner of San Jeronimo , stood out among participants by crafting one of the highest-scoring business plans and pitches in her cohort. The restaurant demonstrated remarkable abil