Restaurant Owners Uncorked

Karen had her own graphic design and web design business for twelve years. One day in 2008 she was sitting on a beach in Belize with her husband, and realized she was tired of helping build other people's entrepreneurial dream. She wanted to use her skills and energy for something of her own. She wanted to start ... a rum distillery. Four months later, Montanya Distillers opened it's doors. Today it's thriving and very successful, shipping rum to 44 states and 7 foreign countries. A very inspiring story. Enjoy...

Tom started his pizzaria in 1983, and thirty-five years late it's still thriving in the small town of Ravenna, OH. His passion for his business is contagious, and you'll learn how his single-location restaurant has withstood the test of time. Enjoy...

Parker started his dream Italian restaurant in downtown Raleigh, NC in 1996 when there weren't many restaurants downtown. Twenty-two years later, Caffe Luna is an institution in a town now full of successful independent restaurants. Parker has owned and operated his single location all of these years, and as you'll here in this conversation, he hasn't lost an ounce of the enthusiasm and pride for what he does. Enjoy...

This conversation was so much fun! Chick and I got into all sorts of topics from Chick living in Chicago while Maxie's is hundreds of miles away in Ithica, NY, to restaurant technology, to meditation. We spoke for over and hour and I could have talked to him twice that long. Enjoy...

Jon owns The Local Icon (www.thelocalicon.com) a very successful hospitality in Raleigh, N.C. Since 2012 he and his team have opened six concepts, and all of them are very popular and admired. This is a long and GREAT interview. We talk about very wide range of topics, and I would have asked more questions but I wanted to respect his time. We may even need to do a part II for this interviews! You'll be inspired by Jon's palpable entrepreneurial drive and appreciate his authenticity. Enjoy...

Paul left Georgetown University in the early 2000's with degrees in marketing and international business and a different plan than his friends who were heading to NYC to get into investment banking. He started bar tending and that led to a successful career in the restaurant business that has spanned 15 years, including the last 12 as owner. Paul co-owns both Town Hall and Sixth Engine, successful restaurants in the competitive restaurant scene in our nation's capital. He and his partners have a third restaurant on the way, and in this interview Paul shares advice and lessons learned over the years. He's an extremely sharp guy and if you are interested in what it takes to be a successful restaurant owner, you don't want to miss this interview!

Andrew co-owns B2 Bistro + Bar in Red Bank, NJ (http://www.b2bistro.com). He grew up around the restaurant business and started working in it when he was fourteen. After attending the Culinary Institute of America and running restaurants for nine years, he had an opportunity to join his partner Cesare "Chez" De Chellis and start his own restaurant. Andrew shares what he loves about the business, lessons learned over the years, and plans for the future. A great interview! Enjoy...

Charlie started washing dishes at age 14 in Buffalo, NY and soon fell in love with the hustle and bustle of the restaurant world. After leaving Buffalo for what he thought was for good many years ago and finding success in the highly competitive Chicago restaurant and bar scene, he returned home in 2013 and owns to successful restaurants with more on the way. Charlie talks about loyalty, hard work, passion for the business and mistakes to avoid if you want to pursue "the beast." Enjoy...

Aaron Soward tells the story of going from a school to a chain to co-founding Provision Concepts with his long-time friend and colleague, Jeff Dixon. Today they own three very successful concepts in Oklahoma City, each with one location and two of them with a second location coming soon. As always, this is a great story from a bold entrepreneur in the independent restaurant world. Enjoy...

Kiersten Traina is co-owns the very popular and successful Liberty Market in Gilbert, AZ. Started at the height of recession in 2008, Liberty Market was built on the guiding principles of having a passion for the food and serving with a servant's heart. Kiersten shares how those unchanging principles, along with the willingness to hold nothing else sacred, has helped her and her team building a single location business that is admired by her peers and has amazing staff loyalty. Enjoy...