Hatchery Networking—More Food in Smaller Places

This networking event will explore the rapidly changing landscape of the food industry. Join featured guest Anshul Mangal—Founder of Furious Spoon, Deadbolt, Pink Squirrel, Firefin Poke, and the soon-to-be-open Lakeview market—as he discusses trends, expansions, fast casual concepts, and the ever popular food hall space.

**Space is limited. To reserve a spot, please register online. Tickets will be $20 at the door**

Anshul Mangal is an engineer, attorney, restauranteur/entrepreneur. From 2012 to the end of 2017, Anshul will have opened over 15 restaurants, including full service, fast-casual restaurants, and bars that have earned the praise of national and local culinary critics alike. During this time, he has co-founded a pharmaceutical consulting company, marketing firm, and a hospitality accelerator and incubator.

He is the co-founder and managing partner of Now Open Project, a hospitality accelerator and incubator. Under Now Open, he has developed and grown several brands such as Furious Spoon Ramen Shop, FireFin Pok� Shop, Deadbolt Bar, new food markets coming to Downtown Chicago and Lakeview, and even a new taco concept and bar coming to Logan Square. His diverse concepts have been developed with Michelin-star chefs, James Beard winners, leading mixologists and notable restaurateurs.

In 2015, Anshul co-founded Furious Spoon, which now has 9 Chicagoland locations currently operating or under development. Known for house-made noodles and loud hip hop music, it has consistently been named one of the top ramen shops in Chicago and the country. He is also the co-founding managing partner of FireFin Pok� Shop, a healthy, quick service concept, which has seven locations operating or under development. FireFin first opened in 2016.

From 2012 - 2015, he was the founder and managing partner of Takito Kitchen, a full-service Mexican restaurant in in Wicker Park and Bar Takito, an upscale Latin American Restaurant in the West Loop. Takito Kitchen was the first restaurant that Anshul opened. He sold his interests in these restaurants in 2015.

Anshul has been involved in all aspects of the restaurants he founded. He has served as general counsel and been intimately involved in fund-raising, licensing, design and construction marketing, operations and finance. Anshul has been recognized and featured in numerous national publications and recognized with the Illinois Restaurant Association.

Until recently, he was the co-founder and managing partner of Idea Kitchen, a creative agency, specializing in the hospitality and food service industry representing various notable Chicago culinary brands and concepts.

Aside from being a restaurateur, Anshul is an attorney, specializing in corporate, intellectual, property and immigration law. Prior to becoming a restaurateur, Anshul practiced law for 3 years at Jones Day, one of the largest law firms in the world. At Jones Day, he was part of the intellectual property practice group and helped several refugees pro bono attain asylum in the U.S. He attended John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois where he interned for a federal judge, the U.S. Patent Office, and was the Editor-in-Chief for the Review of Intellectual Property Law. Before attending law school in 2006, he worked in finance and project management at Morgan Stanley/Discover Financial Services. He graduated from Purdue University in 2002 with a Bachelor in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

This seminar is produced by The Hatchery, a collaboration between ICNC and Accion Chicago to bring education, capital, and support to the Chicagoland food entrepreneur community. Food entrepreneurship programming is funded in part by: