Photo courtesy of LFG.

Plainfield Township, Pennsylvania _ Chef Angelo Napoli, 34, has purchased a long vacant three-story building at 5664 Sullivan Trail and plans to convert it into a commercial kitchen for his catering business, Modern Fusion Catering. Modern Fusion Catering specializes in custom menus for weddings, celebrations and corporate events.

Jeff Barber of Lehigh Financial Group LLC in Allentown arranged the business loan so that Napoli could buy the building and convert it into a commercial kitchen on the first floor and apartments on the second. The purchase closed at the end of February.

Napoli plans to completely gut the building and outfit it as the main prep kitchen for his catering business, which he plans to someday expand beyond Pennsylvania. “This is going to be a completely new wave of wedding food everywhere as we don’t do typical wedding food,” Napoli said. “We are totally different.”

Napoli, who grew up in Bethlehem Township, often saw the building on Sullivan Trail on his way to his father’s pizzeria in Bangor, Napoli’s Pizza, on S. First Street. He often thought it would make a great restaurant and had dreams of buying it one day.

Napoli, who started his catering business in 2015, had been using his dad’s restaurant kitchen. But as his catering business has expanded greatly, he needed to find his own place. “We were getting too busy for it to be for two businesses,” Napoli said.

Napoli expects the renovations to be complete by mid-summer. The catering kitchen will have a tasting room for wedding clients by appointment. It won’t have a dining room open to the public, Napoli said.

Apartments are planned for the second floor and possibly for the third floor if zoning allows, Napoli said. Each floor is 2500 square-feet.

Eventually, Napoli plans to franchise his business and use this commercial kitchen as the main food supplier. “My idea is to franchise the company but this is where the main food supplier will be,” Napoli said.

Napoli has clients in Pennsylvania and New Jersey but plans to expand to other states as well.

Napoli said Barber, whom he met through a mutual friend, was instrumental in getting him the financing he needed. “Jeff knew how to make it possible,” he said. Napoli said now that he has the funds, he has no choice but to succeed.

Barber said Napoli is a great chef and businessman and knows his newest venture will be extremely successful.

Napoli was represented by Nancy Hernandez of Howard Hanna The Frederick Group in Allentown. First United Land Transfer handled the closing.

Information provided to TVL by Beth Orenstein on behalf of:
Lehigh Financial Group, LLC
122 North 5th Street
Allentown Pa 18102
http://www.lehighfinancialgroup.com/

 

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