Local Teacher Backed by CNBC's 'Restaurant Startup'

A local teacher will be carrying out his dream of serving “the best damn rotisserie chicken there is on the planet,” thanks to CNBC’s show “Restaurant Startup.”

Stephen Latona, an instructor at Montgomery County Community College’s Culinary Arts Institute in Towamencin, was featured on the show’s latest episode, which aired Tuesday. Show hosts Joe Bastianich and Tim Love elected to back Latona and his business partner in what the network was billing as an “all-out cockfight.”

The two received the show’s support to open their restaurant concept, “Smoke Kitchen.” According to Smoke Kitchen’s Facebook page, the pair plans to open the restaurant in Malvern.

They were up against Mrs. P’s Electric Cock, a Texas-based food truck specializing in fried chicken that was seeking investors for a brick-and-mortar location.

“Restaurant Startup” is similar to “Shark Tank” in that it uses the knowledge of experienced investors to determine the best business venture for the money.

Latona, a graduate of The Restaurant School in Philadelphia, has worked as a chef in restaurants in France, New York City and Philadelphia. He began teaching at the Culinary Arts Institute in 2013.