Since 2016, the Slow Food pioneers of Annette, captained by Chef Caroline Glover, have been innovating and conjuring an atmosphere in which anyone can stop in to dine and refill their cups, literally and figuratively.
The task of creating such a space is seldom, if ever, linear. In fact, Caroline says, “It hasn’t been linear at all.” Press ramped up their numbers as things were on the rise. Then, much like many other restaurants and businesses, COVID came and dealt a course-altering blow. To continually steer an enterprise in the correct direction while skirting the never-ending march of hurdles to jump is enough to keep many from pursuing their passions. So, successfully rising to the occasion in all climates is symbolic of a proper leader, and the staff at Annette absolutely have lucked out to have that in Caroline.
Luckier still is the community around them as Caroline has truly embodied the ideology of watering that which grows around you. “In summer we try to buy as much from farmers as possible," Caroline says. "We spend a lot of money on our beautiful local produce, that’s really important to me. If we don’t do that, it’ll all just crumble.” To manage all that it takes to open the doors on time and do so with the intentionality of supporting her neighbors, Caroline sets an example of how to spread the success one gains to those around her.
As for her relationship to food, the Slow Food concept is rooted in creating an atmosphere for people to take a breath, nourish their bodies and social batteries, and have a rejuvenating experience. “It’s even more important now because people are making the decision to spend money that they may or may not have," says Caroline. "So it puts more pressure on creating that atmosphere here. Because we are a luxury, going out to eat is usually one of the first things people cut out, so I feel like the slowdown has become even more obvious to me. If people are choosing to come out here and eat, it should be creating a memory for them. Because they’ve made that decision. Maybe they didn’t go out to eat last week, but they’ve come with us.”
With that important understanding of their place within the community and the intention of begetting their guests’ arrival, the team at Annette and Traveling Mercies—their new cocktail bar right upstairs—craft a space where positive memories come easy.
“Ichi-go ichi-e, you can’t create the same experience twice.” This quick proverb guides Caroline while in the restaurant and anchors the importance of the purpose that guides her. “The music will be at a different level, the company will be different, so we make sure that we’re creating that environment but also allowing people to have their own moment in the environment,” says Caroline.
With the birth of her now one-and-a-half-year-old, Caroline has realized that there are some questions and talking points that she wishes would be brought up more in the conversations regarding restaurant ownership. “I didn’t have a lot of women in the industry to ask how to do this," says Caroline. "I just thought I’m going to do this; people do it all the time; they put babies on their backs. And then through pregnancy and now parenthood, it doesn’t look the way I thought it would.” An oft echoed sentiment from the daring people juggling parenthood and entrepreneurship in this modern age. “It’s been hard, so the more women business owners talk about it and say, this is my experience, this is how I did it, the more we’d have to draw from.”
“For better or worse, social media is here, and I connected with a chef in Austin," says Caroline. "She and her husband went through IVF at the same time as us, and they own their restaurant as well, and we ask each other questions all of the time.” Even if it’s just to express mutual feelings of struggle in a given situation to provide some catharsis, the openness and camaraderie have been invaluable to Caroline, and she hopes to be and find more resources for the experience of being a woman heading a restaurant as a new mother. “It’s uniting, and it gives you that sounding board for making your own decisions in the real world,” says Caroline.
Balancing parenthood and being in the restaurant, especially when working odd hours, is a delicate “see-saw” that Caroline is negotiating with the support of her awesome staff, family, and growing community of chefs sorting out motherhood in stride with their businesses.
To learn more, visit AnnetteScratchToTable.com or TravelingMerciesBar.com
“Balancing the clashing daycare and restaurant schedules isn’t that easy.”