Holy Guacamole Podcast

Climate change is striking us hard this year. Finding a place deserving of an episode took time. This episode shares the story of one amazing place on Earth where they are working with nature in numerous way. Step into The Inn at Shaker Mill Falls. It is an 18 room inn and retreat center operated out of a historic, repurposed gristmill built by the local Shaker Mt. Lebanon community in 1824.

Hospitality is the basis of what you'll learn. They are eager for you to be nourished in this magical valley and then return to your ordinary life renewed and refreshed with a new sense of purpose. That is what is obvious in the Inn.

We dig deeper, and learn that there are so many elements to this place. There is much more to this place: regenerative agriculture in two forms: permaculture in a market garden and permaculture in a forest farm. Then they have a mission to rescue food on behalf of those in need, which is shared from a local cafe. They also are working toward using some of the food rescue haul in a community kitchen.

I would like to thank host Michael Pergola for sharing so much about a complex and lovely place on earth. I would like to thank Brahm Gartner for his help behind the scenes. This story is bigger, and Holy Guacamole will have a future episode on the farming and their permaculture plan through Brahm. He is the farmer at the Inn, and the force for change as he conducts himself in the world. Keep an eye out for that episode.

Want to know more about the Inn at Shaker Mill? Check out their website. Curious to know more about the farm and inn, do not hesitate to reach out to Michael or Brahm through their contact page.

Listen and enjoy.

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This episode starts a series whose time has come--Inner Circle Conversations. These are topics that I see trending or you, the audience is asking for me, the host, Martha Lucius, to share. Sharing how to run events and why. What's the purpose of having them, what's the power behind events, and why do them in the first place. If you are an owner, learn why you should consider doing them, and what's involoved. If you are a fan or restaurants or food based businesses, why should you attend.

CHEF LED EVENTS — Ggoma Superclub, (Ggoma means little one in Korean) Tae Strain has led special dinners. His bio is solid, and most notably he was Exec Chef at Momofuku from opening until it closed. A truly special evening.

Okay, what's notable about this? Well, it's fascinating to see a very organized and motivated team working together and serving 30 people... for one night only! This is smart for JBGB/ the host restaurant, because it's a dinner on a night when they are closed. And it's worth noting that restaurants coming out of the pandemic are serving 5 nights a week, not 6 or 7 after the pandemic as a way to curb labor shortages.

David Thomas of H3irloom Group is participating in impressive events. For example, The Family Reunion and immersive experience celebrating diversity in hospitality at Salamander Resort in Middleburg VA. He's doing important work of telling the story of black history during slavery, during black migration to today.

COLLABORATE — between a restaurant and a chef. This might be a chef who is coming into town, and your restaurant wants to use the opportunity to show this person a little love. Tae is doing a dinner in DC this month, august, at Oyster Oyster, a plant forward place in DC. So many interesting ways that businesses can collaborate. As an owner, look for those opportunities, they will reveal themselves, and it's valuable to participate in building community.

FARM EVENTS And highlight farmers and farms. The are artisan and craft people in their own right. There is an event in planning, for example, at Hidden Waters Farm. You can go back to episode 107 to listen to Joe Shaffer talk about permaculture farming to raise beef, pigs and chicken while preserving the land and gathering veggies, honey and herbs to compliment the meat.

INGREDIENT FOCUS Beyond dining, ingredient focused events like what we see at HEX Superette — making kombucha, natural dying, seed swaps and ferments classes. As a food based business, that is not a restaurant, cafe or bar, doing an event on your topic focused on your expertise will be of value in your community.

Think creatively about what you can do in your space. Cafes and ice cream shops are doing the most interesting things!! Remember Cajou Creamery did a collab Black Joy Reckon - a newsletter that is bringing Black joy into your life. Chef Dwight made a flavor called Dreams of Dakar mango, lime and sorrel. I can attest to the delightful flavor and took me back to my childhood traveling in Senegal, Togo, Ghana and Nigeria.

WHATS THE PROFIT ON THESE EVENTS yes There is math involved to make sure you either cover costs or actually make a profit from an event. The truth is, and event has some useful byproducts. Obviously the people that attend the events are delighted by the experience. But in relationship to marketing and building your brand niche, these events can draw more people to learn about you, so make sure you promote well. Your place in the community becomes known for events and the expertise and knowledge you hold and can share on a specific topic.

There is so much more happening when it comes to food and events. They are educational, expereriential and enjoyable. Build the idea, and bring your team along. There is so much to these events. Bring them to life, and you will not regret that decision.

Quick Note: There are more shows in the works. Things to look forward to: we will visit a farm in Canaan, NY to capture two farms that will extend the conversation about permaculture. We have a great show on Marketing. These podcasts take time to choose, plan, record, edit and release. I am thrilled you are enjoying them. We will keep going and growing.

Don't know how our industry is doing? Could be because the statistics are a little confusing. National Restaurant Association came out with a statistic that says restaurants are back to normal. Here we explore that statistic and the few other stats that are telling the story of what's going on in our industry.

Statistics are useful when you have a series of stats that can tell a range of information.

Enjoy listening.

This is a short story on how you can build a successful hiring habit even now, in 2023!

Whenever restaurants are hiring, they follow, or don't follow a protocol. In this episode you'll hear the steps you can take and why they may work for your business. From the job advertisement that describes the job desciption in the best light, to screening calls, to interview no. 1 and no. 2 to the decision to, or not to hire the right person for the position. It's purposely told with a dash of humor because we all know the road to hiring is paved with good intention.

Enjoy listening.

Joe Shaffer from Hidden Water Farms shares where our food comes from, and knows how farmers steward the land and animals. He grew up raising cattle, and now has cattle, pigs, chickens and a vegetable plot at Hidden Waters with his partner Tom. Joe shares what the term "Regenerative Agriculture" means, and why it's an important method in caring for the environment.

There is a growing trend in the US for farm stores. This farm store opened June 2023. Joe describes how that space works, and how they are finding their customers. They are probably one of the closest farms with a farmstore for Baltimore City. If you are local, consider visiting them, and shopping in their farm store. Support local businesses regularly, it is the backbone of our community.

Considering getting to know our farms and farmers. Understand how our health improves when eating seasonally and locally. A farmers' business practices and philosophies can impact the economy, the environment and to our individual health.

This season has been filled with information about the Six Pillars of a successful business. This episode is about the interplay of Quality and Financial Stability.

This Sandwich Episode uses a simple story to tell the financial lesson of changes in the restaurant industry. The recipe of building a sandwich the same way every time, ensures customer delight. That recipe reflects a quality product, created and served the same way every time. It's one version, and one recipe for quality in a restaurant. The other pillar in this story is financial stability; it is baked into that recipe. Know your food costs. Ensure you check portioning. Train your staff so your guest is eating a delicious sandwich that they anticipated, and were satisfied with an equally stellar experience. You know what makes your business revenue, and always ensures profit. We dig deeper, and reveal a story about shrinking profit that has crept into our industry in the last 20 - 30 years.

Enjoy listening. Reach out if you need more information, or have a pod topic or story to share.

Jenny Gaitner is back. A light and lively conversation about the excuses staff provide when they don't want to come in to work. Jenny has been on the show previously, discussing staff pay and salaries. Jenny and me, Martha always have frank and lively conversation. This one includes a monkey plate of humor!

Thanks for listening.

Like what you hear? We'd appreciate your review of @holyguacamole on your fav podcast provider -- this helps more people find what we are doing. What are we doing? Helping independent resturants owners have the support and community.

The last few months have been all about understanding the Six Pillars of a Successful Business.

Hospitality is the 6th of Six Pillars. It's where we take all the planning of a restaurants daily plan and turn it into reality. We all need a little levity. This levity is an amuse-bouche for a series of service stories.

The Sixth Pillar of Success is about culture and hospitality. We know our listeners appreciate hearing from an authority on hospitality and culture. Erin Moran is that voice. She is Director of Dr Grasmick's Leadership Institute at Towson University weighs in with her definition of hospitality and good culture. She has been part of Union Square Hospitality Group, and Great Places to Work.

She holds a unique perspective on hiring and retaining staff, of how a good culture supports the bottom line, and how your businesses future is tied to a good work environment -- good for the staff and good for the customers. She references the Trust Index from Great Places to Work.

Gain some perspective on your own business by listening in and asking if you are doing your best for your team, for your guests, and therefore for yourself.

Our series of episodes are designed to share the Six Pillars Program are followed by episodes which illustrate each pillar. Future episodes will reference Six Pillars Program, and why it's important to have a clear strategy to improve your business.

Here we are, the last pillar in the Six Pillars of a Successful Business: HOSPITALITY. It's subtitle is "what are the ways to attract guests to your place, in the first place… then, what are they ways to invite them back, over and over and over again!!!

BUT WAIT…. but before we get there, I'm going to tuck in this teensy refresher. This little refresher will help you get centered before we dive into THAT LAST PILLAR,…. the Sixth Pillar — the outwardly focused pillar, the pillar about Hospitality.

First Pillar is your brand, and your strategy. What is your concept, and how niche is your niche.

Second pillar is your Financial Stability. How sound is your financial picture.

Third Pillar is your operations— how tidy are your systems in the back of house (Like a prep list, like daily inventory checks, like portion controls, like plating checks, and daily quality checks on your line)

Fourth pillar is your Product Quality. By that I mean, in the options of your niche business, how can your brand compare to others in the level of quality.

Fifth Pillar is Avenue of Distribution. By this I mean How many paths have you created to gather revenue. How many revenue streams as possible.

Now, The Six Pillar is summed up in a word: Hospitality. Here we are focused solely and completely on the OUTWARD experience of your niche biz.

Hospitality and customer experience are so tied to the human condition because they involve human interactions, emotions, and the need for connection. In today's highly digitized world, the human touch is becoming even more valuable and essential in creating memorable experiences that guests crave.

Hospitality needs to be put into context, into actionable steps as an owner, which will unfold in upcoming episodes.

Don't hesitate to reach out if you see a need, have a recommendation for a business, or need wisdom for your business. Remember, reviews help our podcast be found by others who care about independent restaurants.

Thanks for listening.