We were lucky to catch up with Nicole Ghafourian recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nicole, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?

Hiring for Society Kitchen was a challenge because I knew I wanted to run the restaurant a specific way. I wanted guests to feel like they were being invited into their friend or family member’s home. The idea was to make them feel comfortable since our food represented the same concept and was inspired by my mom, sister and I’s home cooked meals.

When going through the hiring process I wanted to get to know the person not just on a skill basis but on a personal level as well. I believed that everyone has a story to tell and I wanted to be there to listen and give them the opportunity to start on a clean slate in new environment. Picking candidates who were empathetic, kind and great at problem solving was an absolute must.

I took a risk and started working with the Salvation Army Santa Monica Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) to create opportunities for those who suffered from major hardship and addiction. Hearing their stories was inspiring and gave me insight on how resilient they were and how challenging finding work could be after graudating from the program. It became apparent that I wanted to continue giving those that are fighting for a new life these opportunities to work in an environment that often rejected them. I found that these team members were some of the most hard working and enjoyable employees.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Society Kitchen was born out my sister and I’s love for cooking. I found joy watching her in the kitchen and always wanted to participate. I might not have known it then but looking back now as an adult, it makes sense that I am in this field of work. A happy tummy is and always will be a love language of mine.

I’m most proud of my recipes as I have put a lot of time and love into creating flavors for many to enjoy. As a self taught “chef,” I’ve had to do a lot research, long nights and early mornings practicing different sauces, techniques and recipes. One of my favorite parts of owning a restaurant is coming up with new menu items. I enjoy creating different recipes and inviting friends and employees to taste test and share their thoughts and opinions.

Because I have a diverse group of friends and employees, it has allowed me create flavors that attract so many different audiences from all over. This is a huge win for me and shows that my dedication has paid off.

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

Before the pandemic, we saw a decline in sales and considered closing our doors, but I insisted we give the restaurant one more chance. I switched up my team and started creating new items. I launched the new menu in February 2020 and started receiving great feedback from customers. By 2021 we gained a lot of popularity and actually went viral with a few food bloggers.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Since we are a small business, marketing companies don’t quite fit our budget although we’d love to work with one. We solely rely on word of mouth, and social media. We’ve found a surge of new guests after a few viral videos that were posted by food influencers. We’re so grateful for all the foodies that find art in our tasty food.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.societykitchenla.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/societykitchenla/?hl=en
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/society-kitchen-santa-monica