Q. Why did you choose to get involved with CCCI?
A. My first career was in foodservice, at my peak I owned a vegetarian restaurant and three ice cream/sandwich shops in the Virgin Islands. We had a vegeburger recipe that was very good. A few years ago I was considering making the burgers again to sell retail and wholesale. I knew the founder of CCCI, Lee Hill, through other connections and he convinced me to get involved and join the board in 2015.
Q. What advice would you give someone wanting to follow a similar path?
A. Have a very honest self-assessment of your personal strengths and weaknesses. I was young in my foodservice career and didn’t know what I didn’t know. I could have really benefited from good financial advice and HR advice. Surround yourself with a team that will both support you and challenge you.
Q. In your business, what has been your most proud moment?
A. We were serving vegetarian and vegan foods in the 1980s, before it was as mainstream as it is today. Our approach was not preachy, we did our best to offer good food, good service, and advice when asked. As a result, our clientele was broad. Aside from the expected crowd, we had business people, politicians, tourists and the occasional celebrity. They came because the food was good, regardless of the vegetarian aspect. Even my very non-veg mother liked it.
Q. How has the CCCI helped you get your business off the ground, or how would you have benefitted from a similar organization when you were starting out?
A. If I had an org like CCCI when I started I would have avoided so many mistakes. We were relatively successful, but having industry mentors and business classes would have catapulted our success.
Q. What keeps you busy outside work?
A. Currently I am CEO of the Cape Cod Technology Council. I actually got into tech via foodservice. I bought a Mac Plus in 1988 to help run the business with special restaurant management software. Soon I was consulting with other restaurants and when I moved to the Cape I started building databases. I also work with the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce on their Blue Economy Project, identifying and promoting the water-based industries in the area. I serve as President of the Board of Directors for Wellfleet Preservation Hall and sit on the boards of the Cape Cod Culinary Incubator, the Cultural Center of Cape Cod and the advisory board of the Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative. In between all of that I am a professional musician that plays about 75 shows per (non-COVID) year around the Cape, and just released my second album in April.
Q. Describe your perfect day of eating?
A. I generally have two meals a day. My morning meals are non-traditional, I often make a stir fry with a variety of vegetables (best time is fresh farmers market season!), brown rice or rice noodles and some chicken, beans or eggs. Especially on the weekends I love cooking something a bit fancy or exotic for my husband or guests. I’ve been inspired by Pacific rim cuisines and experimenting with Asian or Middle East recipes. I don’t have a big sweet tooth but we do make homemade ice cream that is quite heavenly.