After growing up and cultivating their careers in different countries, Melissa Smith and Monte Harhouri found common ground working in the hospitality industry in San Francisco. They met in 2016 as coworkers at Hakkasan, the high-end Cantonese-fusion restaurant that originated in London.
The couple married in 2017, and Mr. Harhouri — who was raised in Tunisia and has a background as an import entrepreneur — moved across the bay into Ms. Smith’s two-bedroom home in Oakland. When the pandemic forced Hakkasan to close, Ms. Smith — a California-born chef whose jobs have taken her to Japan, Hawaii and Alaska — dedicated herself to her wine appraisal business, and Mr. Harhouri focused on gardening and wood-working.
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With entrepreneurial blood coursing through their veins, they started thinking about a business concept that would leverage their collective experience.
“I always wanted to have a business similar to the one I had in Tunisia,” Mr. Harhouri, 40, said, referring to his artisan and handicraft import venture. Ms. Smith, 45, wanted something more rooted in nature and food sourcing. They gravitated toward a concept that would include culinary events and a retreat focused on wellness or “glamping.”
The couple were hesitant to launch such a business in natural-disaster-prone California. They considered southern Oregon and Washington State, but were similarly concerned about droughts and wildfires there.
“The end goal was to do farm-to-table weddings and events, and you can’t cancel an entire season because of smoke,” Ms. Smith said.
It was a gradual coming around to the Northeast, where Ms. Smith had attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. The couple began researching properties that were near an airport, with live/work potential that could draw support from a college town or a tourist destination. A bonus would be something that could generate income from either short-term stays or as a venue rental.
They also had a wish list for the property itself: at least 10 acres, some kind of water feature such as a pond or stream, and a workable barn. They combed online sites such as Cheap Old Houses and engaged agents in select locations to help them.
“Up to $650,000 would’ve been in the comfort zone, and within that we would have accepted something that needed some work,” Ms. Smith said. “At $750,000, it would’ve had to be completely turn-key and ready to go.”
They contemplated an abandoned bank in Rhode Island and 40 undeveloped acres in Shaftsbury, Vt., before narrowing their search to three finalists stretching from upstate New York to southern Maine.
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