WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WISH YOU COULD OFFER YOUR FORMER, EXPECTANT SELF?

Be confident, keep learning and asking questions. Keep reminding yourself that you are doing a great job and give yourself a high five. Don’t be afraid to ask for help; it’s a good thing. Get 8 hours of sleep a night and don’t wear heels.

YOU HAVE BUILT QUITE A NAME FOR YOURSELF THROUGH YOUR INCREDIBLY DYNAMIC AND DIVERSE CAREER. YOU ARE REPUTED TO LEAVE AN INDELIBLE STAR WHEREVER YOU CONTRIBUTE – RANGING FROM YOUR PROPERTIES TO THE ORGANIZATIONS YOU SUPPORT. DO TELL, WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF AS YOU HAVE EVOLVED? WHAT FEELS TO HAVE SHIFTED IN THE WAY YOU BRING YOUR TALENTS TO LIFE?

Thank you for those kind words. I love food and how it brings people together. I love the restaurant business and want to help people succeed with their passions. I have moved on from the go go go where I answer every request and email to now creating boundaries for my time and space. I really enjoy working and collaborating with people. Teams are key.

SO MANY WOMEN ARE TAKING THEIR TALENTS OUT OF THE CORPORATE WORLD AND CHOOSING AN ENTREPRENEURIAL PATH. WELCOME TO THE GREAT RESIGNATION. YOU ARE A CORNELL GRAD AND HAVE BEEN IN THE HOSPITALITY SPACE FOR DECADES – WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS DIFFERENT NOW? AND WHAT WOULD YOU SHARE ARE KEY LEARNINGS OF THE EARLY DAYS OF HANGING YOUR OWN SHINGLE? IS NOW THE TIME FOR WOMEN TO JOIN OR BUILD THEIR OWN BRAND?

I think people are over the norms that have been created by society and realize how unbalanced the world is towards women. We have to take measures into our own hands and many times that means starting your own business.

YOU WORK LONG HOURS AND OBVIOUSLY POUR YOUR DEDICATION INTO ALL YOU DO. WHEN I SEE YOU, YOU’RE SMILING AND LAUGHING, SO FULL OF JOY – IT FEELS CONTAGIOUS! YOUR HIGHLY ORIGINAL CONCEPTS ARE FOR THE CURIOUS EXPERIENCE LOVER. SIMPLY BRILLIANT! YET, THE TIMING AROUND COVID HAS MADE IT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING. SIMPLY PUT, COVID AND THE RESTRICTIONS AROUND IT HAVE BEEN ROADBLOCKS. YET, YOU EXUDE AN AIR OF CONFIDENCE AND BRING A CERTAIN SIGNATURE SMARTS TO THE TABLE ON A REGULAR BASIS. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A DAY OF WEARING SO MANY DIFFERENT HATS? HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF RESTED AND WELL? AND OF COURSE, WHO CARES FOR YOU!?!?

Restaurants, people and hospitality bring me joy. As far as the pandemic, it was a challenge, but it also gave me hope to keep moving forward to bring my ideas to life. I love bringing people together, teaching, learning and caring for people. Self-care is number one in all this. If you don’t take care of yourself, you cannot care for others. My family and friends care for me, I have a great village.

WHAT WERE YOUR BIGGEST COVID LEARNINGS? HOW DID YOU HANDLE THE TRICKY CHALLENGE OF SUPPORTING HOME-SCHOOLED CHILDREN AND A RADICALLY NEW BUSINESS LANDSCAPE? HOW DID THIS IMPACT YOUR FRIENDSHIPS? MARRIAGE? DID YOU EVEN HAVE A MOMENT TO REST? AND, OF COURSE, WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT YOU NOW, IN THIS BRAVE NEW WORLD?

I continue to learn throughout the different stages of this pandemic. I had to make choices for my family and business at the same time. I had to decide if we should test, mask, require vaccinations and then think about how that affects my family life.

The biggest thing I learned during COVID was that we need to slow down, spend more time observing and being outside. All we have is today and we need to surround ourselves with the people we love while taking care of ourselves.

THINKING BACK, WAS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE AS A NEW MOTHER WORKING? CAN YOU GIVE SOME FLAVOR TO THAT TIME IN YOUR LIFE? IF MOTHER WAS NOT YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE, WHAT WAS?

As a new mother, you quickly learn the importance of timing, logistics and planning. Moms can make anything happen once you master the juggle. Another challenge was the realization of how unbalanced parenting is. There is a constant reminder of biases while trying to teach your own children that things should be equal.

WHAT PRO-TIPS DO YOU HAVE TO SHARE WITH OTHER NEW OR EXPECTANT MOTHERS?

Make time for yourself and find people that love your kids. You do not have to be the person to do everything, it takes a village. Build your village. Trust your village and they will protect you and your family. Sleep, yours and theirs, is imperative so make sure to teach your kids how to sleep on their own.

WHAT DO YOU ENVISION AS THE FUTURE OF WOMEN IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE SPACE?

More of us in it. We should be running the companies and associations and setting the laws to make it equal.

WHO WAS YOUR BIGGEST SOURCE OF SUPPORT IN RETURNING TO WORK AS A MOTHER?

My father was a huge support and always encouraged me and listened. My husband and friends were always there and supporting me.

WHO ARE YOUR MENTORS? WHO DO YOU MENTOR?

Jose Andres & Douglas Keane are my mentors.

I enjoy working with talented individuals, helping them build their decision-making skills and pushing them to be leaders. For instance, while I was at TFG, I had an assistant who I mentored a bit and really pushed her decision-making and thinking. She moved on to be a project manager fairly quickly at ThinkFoodGroup and now she is in Development for a large real estate firm. I also think it is important to keep in touch with people and find ways to stay connected. For example, Natalie Hussey and I worked together at ThinkFoodGroup (TFG) and I admired her skill with events and how she grew her career. Now she runs our events and partnerships.

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