We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alexandra Pellot. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alexandra below.

Alexandra, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?

Honestly in California all the small business are suffering a lot because the ever changing new laws and regulations from the government. Specially the small business that are more directed to service (restaurant/wineries/small hotels with food and beverage outlets. It is very difficult to keep track of all the new regulation and how much it cost the company to keep it all operational. Yearly licenses and permits also the every year minimum wage change for tips employees. The Alcohol and food serving regulations now all the restaurant are responsible to pay for the time and the cost of these for each employees. The food and service industry in California is the only industry that a company has to pay for the education of their staff. Lawyers, doctors, mechanics all of other industries each person has to pay for their own credential and educations exes the food industry. That is one of the main reasons the all small restaurant are suffering and closing every day because they can’t compete with the high cost of everything plus adding more and more to the small business owner expenses.

Alexandra, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

What a wild ride. Well my story starts when I was just about to turn 18. I just started college early since I got ahed on high school by having great grades and being in the advanced classes. When I started college I jumped one year and got straight to take classes on my concentration ‘Natural Science” I wanted to be a Doctor.

At the same time I started working in a restaurant for the first time as a hostess/server to be able to pay for school and all my expenses. I was not worried about this since I had been working for several years prior in high school so I was used to it.My family was very proud and happy they were going to have a doctor in the family.

After the first six months of working in the restaurant I just fell in love with the industry. So much fun, so many things to learn and ever changing. After this time I changed my whole concentration and I changed college too and got into a hospitality college where I completed my masters and got to travel a lot doing some of my internships in Italy and Switzerland. During all this time 4 years I worked in several High end restaurants and hotels. I got an amazing opportunity to open some and I also became a pretty good bartender. Competing in a lot of prestigious competitions like World Class/Prestige Spirits and others.

I got hired in the Condado Vanderbilt hotel in Puerto Rico to open their bar program and their hotel. I stayed there for 4 more years and opened 1 more hotel and 3 more bars along with them as their Bar Manager. At the same time I was competing and working along World Class bartenders making it to the top 3 bartenders on the island and the only female.

In 2015 the GM of Vanderbilt sent my resume to a college in California. They were looking for help to open the first high resort in Paso Robles, California. I got a phone call from them and over the phone a month later I was flying to California with all my life in one backpack and one suitcase to my newer adventure not knowing what all this meant. I open the bar and restaurant at The Allegretto resort as their bar manager and hire and train all the bar staff. It was here where I met my better half and now husband and business partner.

In 2020 my husband Andrew Brune and I got the opportunity to open our own spot in downtown Paso Robles. Whe new that it was going to be a monster and that we needed to make the best of the best this is when I called 2 of our good friends Quin and Tony to jump into this crazy adventure. We all quit our jobs as servers/bartenders/managers/wine attendants to make our dream come true. A few months later in 2020 the pandemic started so we saw an opportunity to save some money and we rip apart the space and DIY it. We finally opened The Alchemists’ Garden in July 2020. We found amazing business partners Norin and Nona Grancell and we made it happen.

In 2023 I became a James Beard advisor and we have been joining forces with other platforms to bring the industry together and the best of the best to Paso Robles. It is now 2024 and we stand proud by providing an amazing environment with great quality food and the most innovative cocktails. At 34 years old I can say that dreams do come true. Passion leads to success.

The most difficult thing that has happened to us was the pandemic. Opening a new business under this pressure and circumstances its been very hard. Almost impossible to find staff. The government with the permits took way longer than expected. The constant changes of the health department guidelines. How scared of all.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

The Alchemists Garden has 5 partners. My husband Andrew and I met at our last job we were running a the only Resort in the area and at the same time we meet our third partner Quin she was working in the restaurant with us then started to run the wine room at the same resort. This was all in 2015. Shortly after we met her husband Tony and the 4 of us started to dream about owning our own place litter that we know that happen sooner than what we tough. In 2020 we starter our due diligence to open and find the capital to start up Alchemists this is were we meet Nona and Norin our 5 partners that were able to jump in and make this happened. We had 2 other lenders that prefer to stay silence but thanks to this 4 individuals we were able to make it and open in July 27,2020. Yes 2020 in the middle of the pandemic.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Opening a restaurant during Covid-19 what something else. All the restrictions, trying to get staff and also preoccupied with the pandemic was very scary.

We have to be very safe and cautious with everything it was like walking in eggshell everyday. Thankfully we all when trough it all the help form the local clients and the community was overwhelming and it was just wonderful to see everyone come to gather help each other and see us safe!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alchemistsgarden.com
• Instagram: alchemistsgarden.com/instagram
• Facebook: alchemistsgarden.com/facebook

Image Credits
Fotos by sarakathleen