We were lucky to catch up with Leslie Elsen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Leslie , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career

This is is a question I often think about, especially as a graduate of the University of Michigan, and even more so, now that I have two young children, ages 3.5 and 1.5. More often than not, I think about how my early education shaped my perspective of self, my understanding of the world, and my ability to think critically and find answers by taking initiative.

I believe that the root of educational reformation needs to start at pre-K, with practical life skills and empathetic communication, with a focus on mental health and support for students of all backgrounds. As an introverted child and student throughout my educational career and beyond, I have felt that not enough focus is placed on meeting students where they are in terms of their varied personalities. I would like to see greater emphasis placed on encouraging students to embrace and recognize their true selves, acknowledge themselves, value themselves, and work to develop a greater understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. I feel that more often than not, adults are still trying to figure out where they fit in this world and how their personalities and the core of their beings fit within the structure of this life. We should be facilitating this and encouraging this from a very young age. I would like to see schools filled and funded with mentors, counselors, etc., and a structure set in place so that each student is allotted confidential time to reflect on themselves.

I feel that counselors have been present but there has been a taboo in the past in relation to seeing counselors. I feel that if we start programs early and allow for open communication, the nature of self-exploration and third-party mediation should change, resulting in a more well-rounded young generation of community members, business owners, students, professors, doctors etc.

Leslie , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

The concept and vision for Benedict is just over 6 years in the making and came to fruition 3 years ago at 405 S Union, our first location. I attended college at the University of Michigan, and after graduation found myself bouncing between careers that I continued to find unfulfilling. I began taking weekend and evening jobs in the food industry, including cooking classes, bakeries, small restaurants, and even some wedding catering and a very unsuccessful food blog. I immersed myself in everything I could related to the industry. You could find me in my free time reading cookbooks front to back or testing recipes to find the best possible version of what I was trying to achieve. Benedict stemmed from my passion for the coffee industry combined with my love for the pace and energy of the breakfast scene. I wanted to upscale the classics and offer seasonal specials that were both comforting yet interesting. Something simple yet memorable…Benedict. Flash forward, in 2019, my daughter was born, and I knew that I wanted to set the example for both her and myself, that if there is something you are passionate about, you CAN make it your career. What better time than now. As a Traverse City, native, I knew that I wanted Benedict to call TC home, so I began searching for properties and continuing to fine-tune my business plan and aesthetic vision. 9-month-old in tow, we began to build Benedict into what it is today. 3 months into operation COVID caused us to pause and reflect before summer of 2020. Our summer, was very successful, and we saw an incredible demand both from locals and regulars alike, and quickly realized that our space (while adorable) was not scalable. Flash forward again to fall of 2021, a new home for Benedict became available at 237 Lake Avenue. Weeks after Benedict 2.0 opened, my son, Simon was born on March 6th. 2021 was a blur. We saw incredible excitement, continued to face many challenges, some COVID-related, some not, and we gained a solid crew of incredible people. We are poised to come into 2023 with some fresh new ideas, potentially expanded hours, and expanded pre-order/catering menus.

I am proud of the ways in which we have been able to grow and adapt simultaneously. We could not have hand-picked a worse year in the past 20 years to open a restaurant ( Just before COVID). Yet, we excelled, we adapted and I have grown in my ability to be nimble, flexible, read the room, take advice, filter criticism, and power forward with a positive mindset and a fearless can-do attitude. I have been told that I leap before ensuring my safety net is present, and that is (in my mind) a part of the reason for our success. We will power on, because that’s the only option, and we will have fun doing it. Take a jump, you just have to trust me. My staff has trusted me, supported the business, and show up to work hard and have fun, and they are the reason we are where we are today!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Throughout my life, I have been told I’m “too sensitive” or “too quiet” or that I need to be louder to ensure my voice is heard. I am a total empath, I feel things with such depth that I have a hard time watching the news, scanning Facebook, etc. without seeing something that either causes heartache, or feelings of compassion. During junior high, my family noticed that I would be saying “what?” a lot and that my hearing seemed to be not where it should be. They scheduled an appointment with an ENT who confirmed that I have Menieres Disease. A disease characterized by progressive hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus. In my sophomore year I got my first pair of hearing aids. Geriatric as they were, they changed my life immensely. I hid them. I wore my hair down so my friends couldn’t see them. While I was finally able to participate in the conversations, I still used my well-honed skills of lip reading, body language reading, paying attention to the tone of voice, and using my other senses to guide me.

I was told by my ENT that I should limit my salt intake, to ensure that I do not have excess water in my ears, and I should pay close attention to my diet. I was 16. Limit my salt….ok fine…I began tinkering with spices, herbs, and other ways to add flavor without adding salt ( A staple of a teenager’s diet). Moving into college, I dove into learning more about cooking and ways to eat healthy in my dorm room. I started a food blog, I perused the farmer’s market in Kerrytown Ann Arbor. I explored the local meat market to see what new cuts they offered. I developed menus for my then-boyfriend, now husband, for our date nights.

After graduating from college at the University of Michigan I moved back to Grand Rapids ( my Husband’s hometown), and I attempted to build “a real career” using my degrees in communications and international studies. I explored PR, Accounting, Project Management, and social media management. Yet continued to find myself taking night jobs in kitchens, stodging at breakfast restaurants, picking up morning shifts at bakeries, and even taking on dessert wedding catering out of my small home. During my free time, I would be developing business plans, honing my palate, reading cookbooks, and diving into a particular aspect of cooking ( Smoking, Sauces, Regional Cuisines, etc.)

After the birth of our daughter, Eleanor, we decided that there will never be a good time to explore your passion. We left our stable jobs in Grand Rapids and moved back to my hometown of Traverse City to open Benedict. During that process, and continues each day, I learn that nobody truly knows what they are doing. You have a passion, you figure it out, and you do it with kindness, compassion, and taking all of the lemons that life throws at you, and focusing on what you gain by them.

My diagnosis in high school led me down a path that I could have never expected. It led me to discover that my hearing loss enhanced and sharpened my other senses, and led me to realize my potential as a compassionate leader and as a cook. For that I am so grateful.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The book I read most recently was by, Ellen Bennet, the founder of Hedley & Bennett Aprons. Her book is called “Dream First, Details Later.” I resonated a lot with her book, her writing style, and her approach to running a business. I was humbled by her candid acknowledgment of her own shortcomings, and her clear guidance on how to work through them.

The title of her book, “Dream First, Details later” is, much to my husband’s dismay, how I tend to run my business. I have an idea and I start running with it, I go full force into this idea/concept/dish/etc and figure out the details as I go. My husband, and business partner, Alec, on the other hand, will think about every single detail of a project before taking steps. Meanwhile, I have already lept into my projects. Not only did Ellen validate my approach, but she also offered gentle guidance on how to jump passionately into something, while also creating clear expectations for myself and others. This is where I feel that Alec and I balance each other out.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to open their own business, expand, or anyone who currently owns a business and is looking for a slap of reality in a truly fun easy read.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.benedicttc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benedict_tc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benedicttraversecity