Little Liberia pop-up restaurant wins $100,000 in Hatch Detroit contest

Chanel Stitt, Detroit Free Press
·5 min read

Ameneh Marhaba cried tears of joy as she accepted a $100,000 check  after winning a competition Thursday, where she pitched her business, Little Liberia.

For the 2022 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest, Marhaba told the story about how her father sold all he had and brought his family from Liberia to the United States. She lost her father in January this year.

“I feel like I owe a lot of where I’m at now to my father because of his sacrifice that he did to get us here,” Marhaba said Thursday at Wayne State University Industry Innovation Center, where the last night of the competition was held.

Little Liberia owner Ameneh Marhaba's embraces her sister Aisha Marhaba in tears after winning the Hatch Detroit's pitch competition at the Wayne State University Industry Innovation Center on July 21, 2022. "I owe a lot of where I'm at now to my father because of his sacrifice that he did to get us here," says Marhaba.
Little Liberia owner Ameneh Marhaba's embraces her sister Aisha Marhaba in tears after winning the Hatch Detroit's pitch competition at the Wayne State University Industry Innovation Center on July 21, 2022. "I owe a lot of where I'm at now to my father because of his sacrifice that he did to get us here," says Marhaba.

“Everything I'm doing comes from such a deep passionate place. It's hard for me to express that to people on a deep level," she said. "Sometimes I feel like for me to do that, I have to go back to where I came from and where I started. I was able to give a little bit of my story tonight, and that makes all the difference.”

Her business is an “afro-fusion pop-up restaurant” in Detroit and she presented a three-year business plan during the competition.

Marhaba joins several alumni of Hatch Detroit, which started as a nonprofit in 2011, and helps small businesses open storefronts in the city. Now Hatch Detroit is a part of TechTown, which is an entrepreneurship hub for tech startups and small businesses.

Little Liberia owner Ameneh Marhaba's gets emotional at the grand prize check presentation after winning the Hatch Detroit's pitch competition at the Wayne State University Industry Innovation Center on July 21, 2022. "I owe a lot of where I'm at now to my father because of his sacrifice that he did to get us here," says Marhaba.
Little Liberia owner Ameneh Marhaba's gets emotional at the grand prize check presentation after winning the Hatch Detroit's pitch competition at the Wayne State University Industry Innovation Center on July 21, 2022. "I owe a lot of where I'm at now to my father because of his sacrifice that he did to get us here," says Marhaba.

The four other finalists Thursday were: Lily’s & Elise, a luxury tea house set to open on Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion; Colfetarie, a Romanian pastry shop; Gajiza Dumplins, a frozen dumplings distributor, and Detroit Farm and Cider, a 4.9-acre farm with hopes to open a retail space.

Kimberly Elise, owner and CEO of Lily’s & Elise, traveled around the world visiting luxury tea houses, and felt Detroit should have one, too. Her goal is to have customers dress up in their best outfits for their tea experiences.

“Lily’s and Elise is a company that is extremely feminine, extremely beautiful, extremely pretty,” said Elise. “We have a garden theme. We exude femininity and it is our goal for people to leave feeling better than when they came.”

Lily's & Elise owner Kimberly Elise, 34, of Detroit, rehearses her brand pitch backstage at the Hatch Detroit's pitch competition at the Wayne State University Industry Innovation Center on July 21, 2022. Five businesses Colfetarie, Detroit Farm and Cider, Gajiza Dumplins, Lily's & Elise, and Little Liberia pitched their brands for a chance to win a $100,000 grant.

About 350 small businesses applied to become a part of the pitching competition. That number was narrowed  to 10 semifinalists, and with the help of a public vote via social media, five businesses made it to the final  pitch.

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The competition had five judges from small businesses:  Lee Padgett, the owner of Busted Bra Shop; Regina Ann Campbell, president and CEO of Build Institute; Jeremy Lewis, director of the Accounting Aid Society; Camille Walker Banks, executive director of Detroit LISC, and Kimberly Faison, director of Community and Economic Development at Detroit Future City. The host of the contest was Mark S. Lee of The LEE Group.

This is the 10th year of the Hatch competition, and the prize was doubled by Comerica Bank for this round.

Vittoria Katanski, executive director of Hatch Detroit, explained why the money was doubled from $50,000: “Through the years, we had seen how the cost to open had been steadily increasing, and the impact of that $50,000 wasn't the same as it was when we announced our first winner in 2011.”

Comerica Bank hosted a boot camp for the semifinalists that focused on marketing and communications for businesses. A retail boot camp took place for the five finalists.

“We do intend to continue working with the small business owners just to make sure that they have all the tools necessary for them — from access to capital to products for small business owners,” said Linda Nosegbe, market manager for southeast and national community impact, lending and investments at Comerica Bank.

“This year we kind of did it differently," she continued. "The pandemic kind of taught us that there was a huge need, and small businesses suffered, and then you combine that with minority small business owners.”

Marhaba said the most important thing she gained from the experience was “the connection that I'm creating with people in the program. Everyone is so supportive and helpful. They genuinely just want to see you succeed, which is amazing. The money part is not all to it.”

Little Liberia owner Ameneh Marhaba presents her brand pitch on stage before the judges and audience at the Hatch Detroit's pitch competition at the Wayne State University Industry Innovation Center on July 21, 2022. Five businesses Colfetarie, Detroit Farm and Cider, Gajiza Dumplins, Lily's & Elise, and Little Liberia pitched their brands for a chance to win a $100,000 grant.

Hatch Detroit has helped to open 45 businesses. The 10 semifinalists will remain working with Hatch Detroit until they open. Katanski said participating business owners don’t have to have a business plan or a location in mind at the start of the program.

“All of them are at different stages in their development process,” Katanski said. “The first thing that is important to know is I sit down with each of them, and put together an action plan.”

Ned Staebler, president and CEO of TechTown, said Detroit has experienced ups and downs, but what will really make the city healthy is reviving the neighborhoods and increasing the retention of residents in the city.

“I think before COVID, we (Detroit) were in a really good trajectory,” Staebler said. “It was pretty exciting what was happening. COVID put a wrench in that. But not even a global pandemic was going to stop Detroit. I think with the partnership between Hatch and TechTown to provide support to all these small businesses across the city is going to help Detroit rise again. I think you’re already seeing it.”

Contact staff writer Chanel Stitt on Twitter: @ByChanelStitt. Become a subscriber or gift a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Little Liberia pop-up restaurant wins $100,000 in Hatch Detroit grant