We recently connected with Nicholas Webber and Jacob Jordan and have shared our conversation below.

Nicholas Webber and Jacob Jordan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

I think our whole model is different from the industry standard. We see a lot of restaurants focusing more on architecture and interior design than on hospitality and cuisine; not to take away from the importance of beauty and a sense of space but they often feel more like photo opportunities than comfortable spaces. What we really strive for through 24 Sun’s Pop Up dinners is bringing back the adventure of going out. Part of that is not having a space of our own, we’re nomadic if you will. You know you’re going to get something delicious but you don’t really know what you are getting into until you arrive that night. There is something different about giving in, and for us as chefs it is very fulfilling to get to be at your table with most courses explaining why I am serving something, the history and motivation and cultural reference points and all the things that mostly only get talked about chef to chef, we get to share with our guests. Every dish has a story, if not several.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Nicholas Webber, here with my business partner and Co-Chef Jacob Jordan. I got into the industry in San Diego at 15 after being inspired by Jacques Pepin’s autobiography and never left. I fortunately found my way into great restaurants with even better mentors. Jacob broke into the industry with no experience: boldly going straight into the best in his city, a highly acclaimed Italian restaurant in Boulder Colorado, and showing persistence and learning through their ranks.

We came together working in San Diego’s 3 Michelin restaurant, working as a team on a station we developed a trust and understanding of each others temperament, it’s a good balance. During the pandemic I decided I was ready to venture out onto my own and it was a natural choice to team up.

I am proud of how we have forced ourselves to grow creatively by accepting discomfort and building in unconventional ways. I think we meet the diner where they are while pushing forward by providing an informed variety of Chinese flavor and technique, of course influenced by our fine dining backgrounds, We’re pursuing high level dining without the frivolousness; sharing our love for the variety of Chinese cuisine and showcasing a combination of French, Italian, and traditional Chinese techniques. Our Pop Up diners and private events bring back an intimacy that should always be there when you are feeding and connecting with people, sometimes lost in the glitz of traditional dining.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Despite cooking locally in the industry for many years we spent our time in positions that prioritized growing our skill set which is invaluable in the execution of what we do and bringing the quality that backs the brand; but didn’t build name recognition or ourselves as a “brand”. So building the reputation as you say has been one of our primary focuses. To each other our motto from the beginning has been “food in mouths”, we know our product is there it’s just about getting it to the people.

In all our time locally we’ve developed many friendships with Chefs who were once cooks with us, farmers, suppliers, and other local business owners. Learning to lean on them and ask for support and advice as well as sharing each other’s markets and promoting those who we believe in and believe in us. That has been the most essential to success; and is much more fulfilling than the competitive outlook. San Diego is building together.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Trust. One of the hardest things I think for business owners and especially Chefs is to give up control. Or really give up the idea that you can control everything; one: because you can’t and two: trying to do so doesn’t help. If we want our restaurant or Pop Up to be bigger than us then we need to allow more than us to act creatively and intuitively. We are always going to have our particularities as Chefs and creatives, our vision needs to be executed, but we need to set up the tools and protocols then step away and realize those who are accomplishing their job are the ones best informed to make decisions moment to moment. Seeking their feedback and building the station or role with their better informed perspective. As a manager we can set goals and expectations for our team but we need to clear the path. Create a space for them to succeed.

An advantage as a manager/chef: we feed them dinner ;)

Contact Info:

• Website: 24sunsdining.com (under construction)
• Instagram: @24.Suns
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits
Dee Sandoval and Oshun Rein