Catching Up With Sarasota Immigrant Christophe Coutelle

Last time we spoke with Sarasota immigrant Christophe Coutelle he was running C’est La Vie on Main St. and making plans to open his second restaurant, Lolita Tartine.  C’est La Vie began as a part of a plan to move from France and start a business in the US.  It was very successful, turning a profit within weeks!  So Christophe decided to build on his success.  Lolita Tartine opened on October 23rd and is now serving the delicious pastries and coffee that Christophe is known for as well as the new tartines, or open-faced sandwiches, wine, and other lunch and dinner items such as salads and stews.

Christophe invited ImmigrationSarasota.com to a cafe au lait at the new restaurant.

IS.com: This is a beautiful new restaurant, did you have a hand in designing it yourself?

Christopher Coutelle: Thank you.  Yes, this is one of the typical renovated spaces you see in the Rosemary District.  My friend, another Frenchman actually, introduced me to it.  At first I said I would think about it.  With time I decided this was the place to open Lolita Tartine.

IS.com: You use a lot of red, an attention grabbing color, was that on purpose?

CC: The window frame is red so we went with that for the interior.

IS.com: I noticed the famous artists’ portraits on the wall.  Picasso, Dali, Delacroix, why them?

CC: We had help from the design studio next door.  We decided to name the different tartines after famous artists and we added their portraits on the wall for continuity.

IS.com: SO why not stick with what you know, pastries and coffee?  Why add lunch and dinner?

CC: My wife and I had seen a restaurant in France call Dame Tartine, short for Madame Tartine, and we had originally wanted to open a place like that in the States.  For business reasons we decided to open C’Est La Vie first.  But serving good food all day long is always something we wanted to do, and now we are.

IS.com: So how late is Lolita open?

CC: We open at 8:30am and close the kitchen at 9pm.

IS.com: I noticed a large selection of wines behind the bar.  Are they all from France?

CC: At the moment, yes.  I have a friend who is an importer who finds good French wines.  But people have been asking and I am also thinking about expanding into Spanish, Italian, and Argentinian wines.

IS.com: Tell me more about the tartine.

CC: Well, it is an open-faced sandwich and I always say that if people want to know more they should come to the restaurant and try one!

You can find Christophe at his new restaurant most hours of the day.  We wish him all the best in his new endeavor.  Go and visit Lolita Tartine and let Christophe know where you heard about him.

What Immigrants Need to Know About the Affordable Care Act

Re-posted from mysuncoast.com

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla.- The Affordable Care Act has had its problems the past few months, and adding to the confusion is the mandate that immigrants must have health insurance as well, or risk being penalized.

“The Affordable Care Act does apply to anyone who is legally present in the United States, so that includes obviously U.S. citizens, permanent residents, but also people here with temporary visas,” says Victoria Karins.

Victoria Karins is a well-known immigration attorney at Jaensch Immigration Law Firm, in Sarasota county. She tells us the mandate may affect the economy here on the Suncoast.

“This may be one more thing that could possibly lead our snowbirds and other tourists that we rely on to go somewhere else. If it’s something that’s going to increase expenses and not benefit them, I think it’s a factor that they’ll take into consideration when deciding where they want to spend their tourism dollars, “said Karins.

We asked a couple from Scotland, who visit the Suncoast a few times a year, if they would consider buying a second home here despite the new mandate.

“It would stop us from coming because we have free national health service. When we come here on vacation we have to pay, so if coming to stay longer, we’d be paying even more money,” said Marion Elder, a tourist from Scotland.

However, some say it would be a dream to live in the United States and would want the coverage.

“We are prepared to pay, but within limits. It depends on how much it would cost for the health insurance,” said Bill Wiggs, visiting from England.

According to the latest census data, immigrants made up 12.2% of Manatee County’s population and 11.5% in Sarasota County. That’s more than 88,000 immigrants on the Suncoast, most of whom are migrant agricultural workers or have a second home here and both groups help fuel our economy.

Immigration law firms and insurance groups like, Professional Benefits Inc. in Sarasota, are great resources here on the Suncoast to help guide immigrants that have further questions.

New Business Opportunity on Clark Rd

Sarasota immigrants will be interested to know about a new business opportunity on Clark Rd in Sarasota, FL.  A well-established bar and entertainment venue is for sale.  It is one of the few establishments licensed to provide entertainment after 10pm in Sarasota.  The owner is an immigrant himself who used the business to qualify for an E-2 Investor Visa when he bought it.

The current owner bought the business in 2010 when it was on the verge of closing.  Now it’s a well-known local watering hole with annual revenue of over $350,000.  Asking price is $450,000.

Features include the largest stage in Sarasota (according to the owner), 23 TVs, 2 106″ sceens, 2 pool tables, beer pong, and SS bowling.

The business currently employees seven full time servers and bartenders, one full-time General Manager and several part-time bartenders.

Interested parties should contact immigrant investor Jason Kukk (941-921-6875) or Sarasota immigration attorney Chris Jaensch (940-366-9841) for more information.

Please enjoy the video below to learn more about qualifying for an investor visa through a commercial real estate investment.

Catching Up with German Immigrant and Founder of Nessentials

Few people could have imagined a business in Sarasota selling brooms and brushes, marionettes, and other quality household items and gifts from Germany.  But that is in fact the case with the now 4-year-old Nessentials store in Burns Court.  Founded by Nadja, a German immigrant from the Frankfurt area, Nessentials was essentially the answer to a personal need for a quality German broom and is now a store that is unique not only in the USA but also in Germany. 

When Nadja first moved here she needed an idea for a new business in order to qualify for an E-2 investor visa.  She found herself in need of a quality natural horse hair broom and there were none to be found in Sarasota or anywhere on the US Internet.  She decided that this would be her business, she would sell high-end natural bristle German brooms and brushes in Sarasota.

 She first rented space in Gulf Gate Drive and set up her shop but decided after 2 years to move to Burns Court, downtown Sarasota, where there is more foot traffic.  In the new location business expanded rapidly.  Besides carrying the largest selection of more that 500 different all natural bristle brushes and brooms from Germany, including the finest hand made artist paint brushes and make up brushes, goat’s hair and ostrich feather dusters, badger hair shaving sets and any brush you can think of for your cleaning and personal hygiene needs, she started adding more and more gift items such as collectibles, marionettes, Christmas ornaments, snow globes, music boxes and much more. 

The business, now in its 5th year, has grown steadily and is now expanding rapidly into the digital marketplace.  Nadja recently redesigned her website and is now receiving orders from all over the country. 

These days Nadja is busy.  The Sarasota Chalk Festival is taking place in Burns Court this week and is bringing a large pedestrian crowd to the area.  Nadja is also a founding member of the European-American Club of Sarasota, a group of people from mostly German speaking countries who are making plans to bring more German culture and activities such as Christmas markets and Oktoberfest to our sunny city.

ImmigrationSarasota.com is looking forward to a Christmas market like the one we experienced on a previous visit to Frankfurt someday in Sarasota. 

Please enjoy a video of Nessentials below.

Check out Nadja’s website Nessentials.com, and like it on Facebook.com/Nessentials and spread the word by sharing what you like!

Commercial Real Estate Investment Opportunity in Sarasota Area

A new commercial real estate investment opportunity in Sarasota could help an immigrant investor qualify for an EB-5, according to brokers from Ian Black Real Estate.  From their sales prospectus:

OFFERED FOR SALE – Corporate Campus, located on 7.52 acres in southern Manatee County, just north of the Sarasota/Manatee County Line, has all the amenities ideal for a corporate headquarters, technical institute, research and development facility or corporate training venue.  The Campus offers 170’ of frontage on 15th Street East and is located between Whitfield Avenue and Talevast Road, half mile northeast of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ), universities, major industrial facilities, and accessed via a network of state and interstate highways, this well-maintained facility includes:

Administration Complex – 2 story, 18,400 SF structure with full height atrium, elevator, combination of private/executive offices with 9 ft. ceilings, open areas with glass and partition walls. The building is wired with Cat 3 and 5, cross hubbed redundancy built in between floors and grounded data circuits, motion detectors and beam security system, 3 phase electric.

Conference/Research & Development/Training Center – The one-story 8,127 SF structure houses offices, 3 classrooms, a conference room, training area, student break room, warehouse storage and small research & development lab.

Guest and Manager’s Quarters – The Campus includes residential quarters with potential for future expansion.  Comprised of one 5-BR house with commercial kitchen and dining area, one 1-BR cottage, one 2-BR house, and one 4-BR house, the added value for student or employee housing is rare.

Industrial Warehouse – A 15,000 SF warehouse/manufacturing building is located adjacent to the Administrative Complex and Conference/R&D/Training Center. Consisting of 11,640 SF on the first floor with a 3,420 SF mezzanine, the coated steel frame building includes 3-phase electric, offices, rest rooms, 2 loading docks and 5 overhead doors.  Ceiling height at the apex is approximately 18′.

Maintenance Workshop with Garage – A 1,582 SF building provides ample space for a metal, mechanical or woodworking shop and features a separate garage for 2 vehicles.

OFFERING SUMMARY:

• Price: $2,750,000
• Land Size: 7.52 Acres
• Estimated Square Feet: 50,169
• Parcel IDs: Multiple
• Zoning: Multiple
• County: Manatee
• Taxes: (2012) $38,611.45

For more questions on the commercial property, please download the full prospectus (BioTech Way Commercial Investment Opportunity) or contact Jag Grewal or Cindy Jean (941-906-8688) at Ian Black Real Estate.

To learn more about how to use commercial real estate to qualify for an investor visa, please see the following video of Chris Jaensch speaking on the issue or contact the attorneys at Jaensch Immigration Law Firm (941) 366-9841.

What Sarasota Immigrants Need to Know About Affordable Care Act

Sarasota immigrants are asking what the new Affordable Care Act means for them.  ImmigrationSarasota.com decided to investigate.

Source: www.komu.com

Overview

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, passed on March 21, 2010, is the largest overhaul of the United States’ health care system since 1965[1].  Its purpose is to reduce the cost of health care and increase the number of Americans with health insurance.  One of the ways it achieves these goals is through the “individual mandate,” a provision that requires anyone who is legally present in the US to have health insurance or face a penalty to be assessed in their taxes.

“The individual mandate goes into effect on January 1, 2014 and applies to all those legally present in the US,” says Victoria Jaensch Karins, president of the Central Florida Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and attorney at Jaensch Immigration Law Firm.  “This includes those on temporary visas such as F-1 student visas, E-2 investor visas, and H-1B work visas,” she continues.

This means that all legal US immigrants, including those on temporary visas, will have to buy health insurance if they don’t have it already.

“Immigrants should be made aware so they can make the appropriate preparations,” said Peter Matthiessen, CEO of Deusa Group and a licensed insurance agent in California, Florida, Texas and Georgia.  “They should also be advised not to buy a foreign health insurance policy.  Most US medical providers don’t accept them,” he continued.

According to Taylor Tollerton, partner at Professional Benefits, Inc., Sarasota’s leading insurance group, immigrants should also know that, “some health insurance companies don’t offer coverage to legal residents if they have not been in the U.S. for longer than 6 months.”  She added that, “utilizing experts in the industry to help navigate your way through is vital.”

Exchanges

The Affordable Care Act establishes healthcare exchanges for insurance providers and consumers.  Temporary and permanent immigrants are eligible to participate in the exchanges.

Contact Information

Peter Matthiessen is the CEO of Deusa Group.  For the past 17 years, Deusa Group has specialized in this very complex insurance matter pertaining to foreign nationals entering or living in the USA.  Insurance outside the USA is also offered.  Every situation is different and requires a solution on a case by case basis.  Inquiries are welcome at any time – pm@deusagroup.com.

Founded in 1979 by Jim Tollerton, Professional Benefits Inc. (PBI) is Sarasota’s leading independent insurance group serving the community with insurance plans for individuals and employers by helping to establish employee benefits, executive compensation programs, and succession plans. In 2007, Mr. Tollerton partnered with Taylor Tollerton Collins and formed a second division of PBI with Benefits and Planning, Inc. managed by Mrs. Collins. Professional Benefits serves several local organizations including: Education Foundation, Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation, First Step of Sarasota, Argus, and the local National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisor chapter.  Mrs. Collins is available for interview.

Additional Resources

• How an Undocumented Alien Can Get Insured
• Foreign Health Insurance Companies Will No Longer Be Able to Offer Policies to American Residents

[1]“Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., date last updated (24 October 2013). Web. Date accessed (24 October 2013). <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act>