EME’s Food Hall (& Commissary Kitchen): Feeding the Community and Serving Up Entrepreneurial Support
Florida SBDC at UCF Helps Restaurant Entrepreneur Thrive in Clermont
January 13, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hal Thayer, Communications Director, FSBDC at UCF, 407.420.4850 or HThayer@ucf.edu
John Doramus, Consultant, FSBDC at UCF – Lake County, 352-404-7338 or John.Doramus@ucf.edu
Orlando, FL – The food service and hospitality industry often attracts culinary-minded entrepreneurs eager to be their own bosses and to share the food they love. Jamie Farnell is one such entrepreneur. With energy, creativity, and goodwill, he turned a novel restaurant concept into a thriving business in Clermont, FL: EME’s Food Hall & Commissary Kitchen. His journey, however, was not a solo effort. Alongside support from friends and family, Farnell turned to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) in Lake County for guidance.
EME’s Food Hall is distinctive a virtual food court and commissary kitchen serving multiple purposes under one roof. For the public, it offers a takeout-only food hall featuring multiple restaurant brands, including Beef Heads with smashburgers and chopped cheese, EME’s Chicken and Seafood, Spice Wings, and Fornaro Pizzeria. For food truck operators, caterers, and food manufacturers, the commissary kitchen provides professional-grade equipment and resources to prepare products and sustain their businesses.
Farnell takes particular pride in supporting fellow entrepreneurs. “The commissary side has been a very great blessing to our business because we’re meeting and guiding new entrepreneurs,” he explains. “We help them along the way with every process, whether it’s filing their LLC, acquiring their food permit, or getting their serve-safe certifications.” For Farnell, EME’s Food Hall is as much about giving back to the community as it is about serving great food.
When asked why he sought help from the FSBDC, Farnell reflects: “I was pretty much prepared with everything I needed. I had my business plan. I had my pitchbook. But I was lacking in certain areas, including my financials. I needed a little guidance. I reached out to the FSBDC and they had the resources for me. Not only did they help me with my financials, but they introduced me to disaster relief grants and helped me along the way to my SBA loan.”
The impact was immediate. “Since working with the FSBDC, I’ve seen a lot of improvements, economic changes, in my business,” Farnell continues. “For instance, we went through our books and found discrepancies. My food costs were off. I wasn’t really making any money. We went back, we came up with a game plan, and from there on we’ve been profitable.”
Central to Farnell’s success has been his collaboration with FSBDC consultant John Doramus. “My journey with the FSBDC has been great,” Farnell asserts. “Working with my FSBDC consultant John Doramus has been a great experience. He’s helped in every aspect — putting together my projections for the SBA loan, helping me access capital, providing business coaching, the list goes on and on. Anything I’ve ever imagined that I could ask from John and the FSBDC has been delivered. I would recommend to anyone that’s seeking any kind of help to come to the FSBDC.”
For information about EME’s Food Hal& Commissary Kitchen, please visit https://www.emesfoodhall.com/.
— FSBDC —
About the FSBDC at UCF
Hosted by the University of Central Florida (UCF), and with its main office in the National Entrepreneur Center located at the Fashion Square Mall in Orlando, the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) is part of part of UCF’s Office of the President and the Florida SBDC Network.
The Florida SBDC at UCF provides aspiring and existing small businesses with no-cost consulting, low-cost training, and access to business data and research resources. In addition to its core service offering, the Florida SBDC at UCF also offers specialized services to qualifying companies, including capital access, market growth, government contracting, international trade, business continuation, cybersecurity, disaster planning and recovery, and more. The FSBDC at UCF serves an eight-county area that includes Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia counties and maintains 9 service centers across Central Florida.
In 2024, the FSBDC at UCF served 2,277 entrepreneurs in Central Florida with consulting services, resulting in more than 2,855 jobs impacted; $564.3 million in sales growth; $57.2 million in capital formation; $161.1 million in government contract awards; and 142 new businesses started. For more information, please visit www.sbdcorlando.com.
About the Florida SBDC Network
For nearly 50 years, the Florida SBDC Network, the state’s principal provider of business assistance [Fl. Stat. 288.001], has nourished a statewide partnership between higher education and economic development to provide existing and emerging small and medium-sized business owners with management and knowledge resources that enable overall growth, increased profitability, and economic prosperity for Florida’s economy.
In 2024, the Florida SBDC Network delivered 107,812 hours of consulting to 15,474 small business clients – resulting in business owners securing $304 million in capital, $732 million in government contracting, impacting 19,800 jobs, increasing sales by over $3.8 billion, and creating 1,019 businesses.
With over 40 offices statewide, the Florida SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Department of Defense, State of Florida and other private and public partners. Full funding disclosure available at www.floridasbdc.org/funding-disclosures.
The Florida SBDC Network, headquartered at the University of West Florida, is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs and is a recipient of the President’s E Award for Export Service. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for individuals with limited English proficiency. For more information, please visit www.FloridaSBDC.org.
