We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jill Wasilewski . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jill below.
Jill , appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I both love being a business owner, and also regularly think about how nice it would be to have a regular job. Of course, for me that job would still be cooking or baking, but doing so without looking through the relentless lens of ownership. The minute I opened the doors to my restaurant, I learned that being the owner means doing less and less of what you love and what made you start that business in the first place — and instead doing more of what you don’t necessarily love: payroll, HR, accounting, scheduling, legal-stuff, the list never ends. However, you have to be able to zoom out and remember you can’t have your cake and eat it too — your business is yours because you built it from the ground up and know it inside and out. In the end, it’s all about balance.
Jill , 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?
I am the chef and owner of a small restaurant and bakery just south of downtown Asheville, NC. I have always been naturally drawn to the culinary industry because of my deep love for great food, meaningful service, and the connection to community. I am most proud of opening my restaurant and maintaining its success without investors, partners, or high dollar PR teams. I am proud of its grass-roots down-to-earth nature alongside extremely high quality food and service.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
It goes without saying that making it through the pandemic illustrates not only my, but also my teams, resilience. When the pandemic hit, we had just made it to 3.5 years – a crucial make-or-break kind of point for restaurants to succeed or fail. I had a walk-in full of thousands of dollars worth of food, plus additional thousands of dollars in prepped food, plus a staff of 22 that were looking to me for answers. A friend of mine came up with the idea to collect donations from community members to fund free meals delivered to local healthcare workers. Our plan quickly took off and suddenly we were back in the restaurant 5 days a week doing nothing but meal prep and food delivery — the community was so eager to help and, whether they realized it or not, they saved my little business as well. I paid rent and wages using that (drastically smaller but still incredibly crucial) income. It was so indescribably hard to plod ahead in such a bleak time. My restaurant seemed so inconsequential at that point. But, the healthcare workers frequently commented how the homemade food was like a symbol of hope and happiness from the “real world” before COVID. Who knew a simple homemade meal could bring tears of happiness? In hindsight, this perseverance and resilience is what allows me to still run this restaurant today, doing what I love, and to continue to provide jobs to my staff.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
I bartended at night, I was a prep cook during the day. I picked up every extra shift I could. I saved every penny and lived very, very cheaply. A few family members were kind and trusting enough to give me loans (which were paid back with market-price interest). I bought most equipment used and would constantly scour Craigslist. I didn’t pay myself for at least 2.5 years.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.ivoryroadavl.com
- Instagram: Ivoryroadavl
- Facebook: Ivoryroadavl
- Yelp: Ivory Road Café & Kitchen
- Other: [email protected]
Image Credits
Photo Credits: Zachary Heaton, Derek Diluzio