Paying it forward!!

Here I am with my little guy again!
A year ago about this time I contacted a local successful business man that was a good customer of mine about possibly helping me to get my business stuck from the financial plateau it had been stuck at. Six years for a restaurant was great I was still keeping my head above water but that was it. We made it each month to go on but weren't really increasing. Oddly enough the day before our first initial meeting I found out that my husband and I were pregnant. So I go into this meeting and this gentleman starts to read an inspirational excerpt from a book and I lose it, start bawling. Mind you I was never a crier before pregnancy and baby, now I cry at everything! lol! He had no clue why I was crying, and I told him I was pregnant. He then asked " is this a good or bad thing?". I replied with "good, we were trying, just overwhelmed". He then responded with "everything happens for a reason". True that! This restaurant was no longer just about making enough money for me to survive I was now going to have a family. He said another thing to me that day that has stuck in my head for the last year, You create what you believe. I always said "If I could pay the bills then I was happy" well that is exactly what I created and nothing more. That was when my mindset changed. Of course my passion and culinary creativity is always number one, but I needed to get this business to be financially successful for myself and my loyal employees.
 So 2014 came with a lot of changes to the business and meeting a lot of other really great people to help me down this new road. At another one of our meetings this gentleman introduced me to another restaurateur. I was just floored that these two guys would take time out of their busy schedules to help me with my business. I asked that meeting what they would like in return and they said "pay it forward someday, that's all we ask".
Over the last year in addition to these two special people, I have so many people that are willing to help with keeping my passion/business going and moving forward. The Café has so many customers that want to see us continue doing what we do here, with the food and supporting our local farms. I have one customer that continually helps me with my computer issues, I'm learning but I shouldn't quit my day job! Another recently that is helping with our marketing out of the kindness of his heart, says it's what he does for a living and helping me is fun! I have musician customers that call and just ask to play & I have to force them to take compensation, silly starving artists. Not really they always leave with full bellies. I'm blessed to have such a great staff that continues to believe and support in the changes we make and continue to give 100%. Recently we had a farmer from a farm we get product from ask to work at the café, hell yes can you get any more farm to table! But honestly she believes in what we are doing here. I have another gentleman friend that helps do maintenance work at the café and continually refuses pay. Valentines day morning he comes in for an emergency maintenance issue and we were talking, while he was working on stuff and I hadn't seen him in a while, which is good means nothing had broke for a while, but he wanted an update on how things were going. I'm going on and on about all these awesome things we have in the works and telling how blessed I feel to have all these amazing people around helping out, and that it just blows my mind that everyone so believes in the café. He said to me " Jodi, you shouldn't be surprised you're a good person, you attract other good people that want to help. It's that simple. That's why I'm here right now"
I have been so lucky to have met all these people. My customers, friends, family,and employees are all such wonderfully supportive people, thanks to you all.
This hasn't been an instant success story as far as the business, but a long and carefully paved path to get where the business needs to be. We are still carefully laying each brick day by day and I'm believing we can make it happen and that I can Pay it Forward as well!

On the Chopping Block: Keeping it Real!

This little guy has changed my world! Here we are at work paying the bills for the week. I have the luxury of owning my own business so I can bring my little guy to work which is great but has it's drawbacks as well. What used to take me 2 hours now takes twice as long. We are making it work but man is life different.

I've owned my Café for 7 years now, and it has been a crazy journey filled with great stories and people. I've always said if I would just write this shit down people might get a kick out of the stuff my staff, friends, and I deal with everyday in this service industry. We are constantly laughing and bitching in the kitchen about stuff that happens out on the floor. I'm a chef because I'm not good at faking it like servers and bartenders. Anyone that knows me at all knows that. May be a downfall for being in this industry but at least I'm honest. Funny quote from one of my kitchen kids recently I said "I need to learn to stop swearing" (we kitchen folk use the "f" word about every other word, not cause we are angry all the time either, please don't get that impression) response from my kitchen kid was "it is a proven fact that people that swear a lot are smarter and more honest!"

My response "well I must be a f-ing genius!!" Just kidding! I own a restaurant I'm far from a genius. This then takes me to a conversation I had last night with a dear chef friend he said to me " Jodi I have enough money saved do I travel for 2 years or buy the place I'm working at?" I said "you travel man, you are 50 years old and owned places before. Go see the world! Do for you for once!"

Now don't get me wrong you're probably thinking to yourself, Jodi it was always your dream to own a place why would you discourage someone from the same thing you are doing. Well this particular chef has done what i'm doing has been married, raised his kids, and spent 30 plus years of his life at the mercy of the public. We work weekends, holidays, late nights (mind you I'm not complaining about that at all I enjoy what I do) I guess where i'm going with this is we are under the chopping block 24/7 in our industry. In our conversation last night this chef said to my assistant, "You know nothing is a guaranty in this industry right? It could all be over tomorrow."

That is the reality that drives us to constantly be better than we were the day before but it is also what takes a toll on our creative souls. One day you are on a top, and the next, the next new up and comer has stolen your place. Or you can have a night of everyone raving about what you created and are savoring every bite and one person in your dining room wants to pick apart a dish you just spent 6 hours preparing before dinner service. Chefs are said to have big egos, I guess but maybe we are much more fragile than people think because we are "On the Chopping Block" every night of the week!