Ambassadors,
About 5 years ago at this time, I left tending to Muss & Turner’s on a full time basis to help Chris Hall open Local Three. That was the beginning of the end of the consistent communication I once had with you, and frankly I have missed our connection.
In 2012 we closed for 10 days to completely re-do the M&T kitchen and opened Eleanor’s. Soon after that, in the fall of 2012, we decided to get the train on the tracks to help Chris Talley realize his dream restaurant. Soon thereafter came Ryan Hidinger’s diagnosis of stage 4 cancer. The tidal wave of love, much of it from you, that engulfed Ryan & Jen became the genesis for us founding the The Giving Kitchen and also pursuing the creation of Hidinger’s dream restaurant, Staplehouse. Most importantly, I’ve been able to stay engaged and committed as a husband and father to two young and active children. From the beginning the goal has been to defy the odds and avoid the typical pitfalls that can come with being a restaurateur. The big question was and continues to be, how do we create and sustain being a special company that brings all it’s stakeholders value and creates opportunity for growth without losing friends, family, our marriage, an engaged relationship with our children or ourselves to the stress than can easily breed an unhealthy lifestyle or even addiction. This doesn’t happen in the restaurant world unless you have truly amazing people surrounding you – extraordinary people whom we trust and care for deeply.
It is bothersome for me to hear “I never see you anymore”, everywhere I go but I know it is coming from a good place. Still, it is one of the crosses to bear on my journey. There is a constant underlying internal battle of guilt and acceptance that I simply can’t physically be in two places at once, let alone four. Another challenge has been learning how to exist and evolve in my role while grasping the holy grail of autonomy. Holding the grail without a playbook or imposed structure has been a blessing and curse. It has given me the good fortune to be a catalyst and driver in creating opportunity as well as being able to give back and contribute to our community in very meaningful ways. But, it has also created immense complexity and inhibited my ability to stay as connected as I once was with so many people I care about from staff to guests. That is part I love and miss the most, the human connection. That is the root system our restaurants are built upon. Getting back to this dialogue with you is getting back to my roots.
Over the last year, I’ve been simplifying, focusing on the essential (read this profound book!) and trying to make my way back from the wilderness. I am still in the weeds and oversubscribed but moving in the right direction. Since late March I have re-focused much of my time and energy back into M&T and enjoyed every moment of it. As you all know intimately, the M&T I left running day to day five years ago was a totally different animal that what exists today. Let’s just say I am clear it needs some taming. I still have to be in many places at once, but I am at the very least recommitting to communicate with you – our most loyal supporters over the years – with a constant flow of the appreciation you all deserve.
I will be actively adding many deserving new folks for the first time in five years, but those of you in receipt of this email are (and will always be) the OG’s from Pre-L3.
So much of our success is because of your support of us. So many of you stepped up and dug in around helping Team Hidi, TGK ,and Staplehouse in ways I will never forget.
Thank you!
Ryan
