Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Summer Knoop. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Summer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Our mission when we were first conceptualizing Cafe Mamo was to create a place that we both wanted to work at and could utilize the skills we’ve learned from our time spent in different parts of the hospitality industry. We have always wanted a small restaurant, Cafe Mamo has 28 seats, that feels very well thought out and executed. From there we knew we wanted to offer a small, tailored menu focusing on Local West Michigan seasonality. The amazing farming in the area has made it very easy to have a dynamic menu that shifts every week to highlight what our farmers are up to. The beverage menu is focused with a heavy emphasis on a wine bottle list that is also consistently changing. Chef Michael and I are having a lot of fun working with new ingredients, local farmers and each other to create a dining experience that is elevated in terms of food quality, but in an atmosphere that is warm and fun. Every inch of our tiny space has been thought out considerably from the vinyl records we play each night to the wine storage that is scattered throughout the dining room. It is important to us that all the small details add up to an amazing evening for our guests.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Café Mamo is owned and operated by Chef and Sommelier team, Michael Goessman and Summer Knoop. We have been working in restaurants our entire careers. Chef Michael is from Gallatin Gateway, Montana and has cooked at many different styles of restaurant, but has been influenced mostly by his Mom and Grandmother’s love for gardening, organic farming and finding the best ingredients to cook with. After working at French bistros and a Michelin Starred restaurant with a tasting menu, Michael has set his focus on creating menus that are delicious and intricate, but are approachable and feel like something maybe your grandmother would have made you as a kid in the Midwest. Summer is from the West Michigan area and has worked just about every position in a restaurant besides cooking. From working as a sommelier in NYC, her wine knowledge has led to creating a curated bottle list at Café Mamo that is constantly evolving for guests who always want to try something new. Sharing a bottle of wine over dinner is one of the best parts of the dining experience, and in Grand Rapids “beer city USA” the wine scene is exciting and fun!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Once we decided to actually take the leap and buy a space to renovate into the restaurant we had been talking about for years, it was a an uphill walk that in the midst of a pandemic took resilience, persistence, patience and unwavering drive. The space for Café Mamo was a Texaco service station in the 1920s. When we took ownership of the space in 2019 it was most recently a Boost Mobile phone store with an office building interior and a plain blacktop parking lot out front. It took several months of working with the city to draw up plans for a restaurant space that showcased some of the history of the building with exposed 100 year old beams, refinished original cement floors and brick walls. We also wanted the front of the restaurant to have as much greenery and garden elements as possible even though we are right in the middle of town. This also took months of close collaboration with the city during the height of the 2020 lockdown. From there, progress was slow and tricky to navigate during the pandemic, but we decided to do as much of the renovation work ourselves as was allowed and while that was difficult, it proved to be incredibly rewarding. With all the slow downs and roadblocks brought on by renovating a building during a pandemic, it made the process of opening our doors to guests that much more amazing.

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

Chef Michael and I work alongside our staff on a daily basis in the restaurant, so we are very in tune with issues that may be frustrating as a staff. We have never wanted to be “restauranteurs” who don’t have any part in the day to day operations, so being on the line as a cook or bartending, serving and selling wine each night alongside our awesome team has been not only really fun for us, but also gives us the chance to make sure systems are as smooth as they can be. Our team is incredibly patient with the limited back of house space we have at Café Mamo. We have a completely open kitchen concept and everyone is expected to be able to communicate with guests and each other each night in a calm, professional manner in the midst of a busy dinner service. Things can get loud and chaotic at times, but having a team that you respect, who respects you in return and also expects you to do your job well gives all of us a sense of confidence. We are all a team and everyone has a role to play every night so we all count on each other in order to be successful. Because we all work so closely together, that sense of knowing your team is counting on you to do a good job is a huge part of keeping morale high.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cafemamo.com
• Instagram: @cafe_mamo_

Image Credits
Personal Photo- Kevin Orellana Other- Gretchen Mathos (Gretchen Elle Photo) Leigh Ann Cobb (Leigh Anna Cobb Photo)