Why Jerry Cedicci Ignored Industry Data to Launch Café Croissant
Jerry Cedicci bypassed bakery revenue benchmarks and formal research to launch Café Croissant in Chicago, generating $60,000 in month one.
The Man Who Taught Kison Patel to See M&A Opportunities
With Kison Patel, Jerry Cedicci · Friday, September 25, 2026
Kison Patel interviews his former mentor, real estate developer Jerry Cedicci, tracing how Cedicci went from being an orphaned immigrant in Chicago to building a multi-million-dollar real estate portfolio. Cedicci details how he built retail bakery cash flow, structured off-market real estate acquisitions, converted rejections into bank financing, and executed high-return property repositionings.
Key takeaways
- Jerry Cedicci signed his Walton Street lease in Chicago despite landlord Edward Stler warning that the average American bakery generated only $450 per day. Read more →
- Jerry Cedicci secured a 10-year fixed purchase option at $10 million while signing a retail lease for a 72,000-square-foot asset at 72 East Walton in Chicago. Read more →
- Jerry Cedicci acquired a 44,000-square-foot industrial property at Lake and Carpenter in Chicago's Fulton Market for approximately $210,000 in the 1980s. Read more →
- Jerry Cedicci created off-market real estate opportunities by separating the operating business from the physical real estate during seller negotiations. Read more →
- Real estate developer Jerry Cedicci converted an outright commercial bank denial into an approved $3 million construction loan by interrogating the rejecting credit officer. Read more →
5 articles from this episode
Jerry Cedicci on Buying 72 East Walton with a $10M Lease Option
Jerry Cedicci explains how securing a 10-year purchase option on 72 East Walton turned a commercial lease into a $22M real estate exit.
Jerry Cedicci on Buying Fulton Market for $210K
How Jerry Cedicci used bakery cash flow and seller financing to buy 44,000 sq ft in Fulton Market for $210K and refinance for $1M.
Structuring Off-Market Real Estate and Business Buyouts
Jerry Cedicci explains how bifurcating an operating business from real estate unlocks off-market buyouts, bank debt, and property repositioning.
How Jerry Cedicci Turned Bank Rejections Into a $3M Loan
Jerry Cedicci explains how reverse-engineering a bank rejection provided the exact underwriting blueprint to secure a $3 million commercial loan.
More M&A Science episodes
- How Winsupply Runs M&A With a Team of Four | Greg HolbrockNov 15 · 6 articles
- Sales Diligence in M&A: A 5-Time CRO on Grading Managers Before You Cut RepsNov 8 · 6 articles
- Why Walmart’s Former Corp Dev Head Builds Target Relationships 18 Months Pre-DealNov 1 · 3 articles
- Commvault’s SVP Legal on Structuring Deals So Integration Doesn’t BreakOct 25 · 2 articles