We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rada Valkova. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rada below.

Rada , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

Probably the most unexpected and critical problem in professional and personal aspect was the loss of my husband 5 years ago. Me and him opened our restaurant in Camden, Maine in 2014. We were a good team. He was the chef, I was the front of house manager/host. In 2020 he passed away from a complications after a routine surgery. That year changed everything. Not only were we struggling with COVID but this too….
Many ,many people, known and unknown, showed up for me in that critical moment for me and my business. The support was steady, quiet and persevering. All of our employees kept on showing for work which made me want to show up for them. Our customers kept on coming too. I learned to cook behind the line that summer. It was the only job that did not require me talking to people about the tragedy that hit me. Day after day, week after week, months after months, the chaos started settling. The schism brought growth. Today, I have two partners that stuck with me through the worst and we both a new restaurant in a nearby town. Who would have thought?

Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?

Yes, in 2024, we purchased a building in Rockland Maine that was housing a very well established restaurant that was operating for 30+ years. That was daunting idea but we did it! We had to struggle with the idea that people had: oh they will reopen the old favorite place! What we did is we completely changed it, from the interior to the menu, we build a completely different concept and opened the doors without too much fuss and media shoutouts. This proved in our advantage, our community has embraced our venture and we are successfully operating 13 Oak for almost a year now.

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

This question is easy I think. Consistency is key. Consistency in the experience from entering the door or making the reservation, to the drinks and food, the consistency in providing comfort and excitement at the same time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.freshcamden.com, www.13oakrockland.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fresh_and_co_camden/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563722547029, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090399014628

Image Credits

All mine