Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Bella Cucina a Going Concern or Bankruptcy Bust

I reported yesterday that Virginia Highland's Bella Cucina had abruptly closed a few days ago.  At that point, it was unclear what exactly caused their closure.  New details came yesterday afternoon including evidence of a bankruptcy filing and claims of unpaid invoices.


This past January Bella Cucina owner Alisa Berry filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Georgia northern bankruptcy court.  Bella Cucina Artful Food fell into a category that placed the business within a scary set.    "Asset Range: $0-$50k Liability Range: $1M-$10M."  

You need not be an accounting wiz to know that those figures are not good for any business hoping to continue in a going concern.  

Strangely, Bella Cucina's facebook page and website, both shutdown and inoperable Sunday night, were magically up and running late Monday night.   No new updates were posted but a  message posted on the facebook page on July 10 gives some clues to their possible plans : 

"Thank you to our loyal and local supporters for 8 great years in Virginia Highlands. We've loved every minute of it!

Stay tuned for a fall opening of a new retail location.

Until then, you can always get your artichoke pesto fix from Whole Foods or visit us online. Buon appetito! 

www.bellacucina.com "

Will Bella Cucina actually reopen or is this Alisa Barry's version of "closed for renovations?"  What should open in place of Bella Cucina?  

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm betting the retail is a separate company, selling their products that they manufactured. My wife did hear that they were moving to mid town, as I mentioned. I'd be on them to go to either Ponce City Market or West Side/White Provisions- both have a lot of momentum and in the White Provision case, existing retail synergy- Ponce City will have that synergy.

VH is too tough on boutiques, the profitable businesses are the restaurants and the boutiques only exist for strolling and eye candy- merchandising. Mitzi being somewhat of an exception. I like how every year a new crop of college grads come in and 'discover' VH, and then wear it out in 3-4 yrs and move on.

Decatur is a much more serious player and has the potential to develop into a Winter Park Fl.

Anonymous said...

Stanton Home Furnishings is taking this space...

Anonymous said...

According to aWhole Food on Ponce, they have not carried Bella Cucina products (pesto's, preserved lemons, etc) since January, 2013. The retail shop, in Va-Hi, as well as a spot in the Grand Central market in Manhattan, were small and recent endeavors of the gourmet food manufacturer

Anonymous said...

Barry is a crook and lair! Has been since she started Bella Cucina in the mid-90's. Her creativity doesn't stop with her foods. Be careful when doing any business with this woman.

Anonymous said...

So what was the real story behind this? I see that in July of 2013 the bankruptcy filing was "dismissed for other reasons".

What might those reasons have been?

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