Today we’d like to introduce you to Krista Cole

Hi Krista, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

My story starts in northern Maine, where I was born. I grew up in a small mill town of about 1,500 people. Neither of my parents had college educations…my dad ended up in the military then worked in the paper mill. At the time, this was a great living for a family living in the area.

My parents divorced when I was really young, and my mom raised three kids working local jobs. One thing she drilled into me was that it didn’t matter what job I was doing, the most important thing was to be reliable and work hard every day. This has always stuck with me, and it was my mom who instilled me with my work ethic.

I got a job as soon as I could get a work permit. I took a nursing assistant class my Junior year of high school, then got my certificate. I started working in home health care with children with disabilities. I was 17 years old.

I made my way through nursing school as a nursing assistant. I worked in nursing homes and also picked up work as a home health aide. Later into nursing school, I was given the opportunity to train on the job to become a medical assistant, which I gladly accepted. After four years, I achieved my Bachelor’s in Nursing.

Nursing led me to traveling where I became a traveling nurse. I landed in Denver, CO where I stayed. Ultimately, I knew I wanted to go back to school for business and that I wanted to be an entrepreneur.

I got my graduated degree in Management & Organization with an emphasis in entrepreneurship and a certificate in entrepreneurial studies. I worked night shifts to get my way through graduate school. My then partner worked in restaurants, and we decided to move home to Maine and open Sur Lie in Portland, Maine in the fall of 2014.

Our partnership ended, and I bought him out in fall of 2021. I bought Gather restaurant in Yarmouth from it’s previous owner in January of 2022. It was a very intense period of time for me.

I then partnered with someone to open Catface Cafe in Biddeford in March of 2024. That’s my story!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

It has been a very, very hard road. Opening a restaurant at 29 years old was not easy. I was young and naive, and it’s easy to look back now and be glad I did it. But at the time I had no experience in restaurants, let alone owning and operating one.

We ran over budget and out of money. We didn’t have any money for marketing, so we relied heavily on word of mouth. The space we chose to build the restaurant in was off the beaten path and much cheaper, but we also didn’t have a lot of foot traffic. The beginning years were really hard. I worked full time as a nurse still so we could have money to pay our bills and could have health benefits for the first five years.

Just when we felt like things were starting to gain traction, the pandemic hit. We had just turned four years old. Not only was the pandemic challenging…the inflation, cost of labor and costs of goods that came after it have been a hard hurdle to continue to get over.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Sur Lie, Gather & Catface Cafe?

I own three restaurants. Sur Lie is an eclectic, tapas style restaurant in downtown Portland, Maine. Gather is a neighborhood, family friendly restaurant located in Yarmouth, Maine. Catface Cafe I co-own with my business partner and it’s the heart of the up and coming downtown Biddeford, Maine.

I think I’m mostly known for my engagement and efforts in my community, especially the community of Portland. I sit on the board of Portland Downtown. Portland Downtown is a 501c4 nonprofit Downtown Improvement District. Our mission is to stimulate a vibrant, thriving, and sustainable downtown community.

My favorite work comes from what I do in my community. It also comes from the work I do leading teams of people. I believe anyone can be a manager, but it takes a special person to be a true leader.

When I was hiring for a chef, this was the most important thing for me to consider. I needed an amazing chef, sure! More importantly, though, I needed someone who could lead a team of people. Who could create a positive culture in an industry known for it’s toxicity, alcohol & drug use, and burnout.

That’s when I met Mimi Weissenborn. Three years ago, she became my executive chef of Sur Lie then subsequently the chef of Gather.

Mimi decided to pursue a culinary career in New York City as a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. There she received a Michelin recommendation, participated in multiple chef collaborations such as New York City Food & Wine Festival, Harlem Eat Up and a gamut of James Beard Foundation dinners headlining and selling out one of her very own; most recently collaborating on an International Women’s Day Dinner.

Together, I am most proud of the barriers we are breaking down as females in our industry. Added to the fierce female team, we have Mickey Mills who has been managing both Sur Lie and Gather for over two years. I like to think we’re a force to be reckoned with.

Oh yeah, and I have two James Beard semi-nominations! One for Outstanding Restaurateur and one for Outstanding Hospitality for Sur Lie!

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?

I’ve got to give credit to my family first and foremost. For believing in my dreams and dealing with me for the last ten years! They’ve been a shoulder to cry on, they lent me money when I needed it the most and they’ve always believed in me.

I give the credit to my team. The people who have come and gone over the years. They believed in the vision, and they have helped make the restaurants what they are today. They’ve taught me hard life lessons. They’ve taught me how to be a better person and a better leader.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sur-lie.com www.gathermaine.com www.catfacecafemaine.com
• Instagram: @surlieportland @gathermaine @catfacecafemaine

Image Credits

Personal photo credit to Kari Herer
Food photo credits to Renaud Film and Photo