kitchen needed to establish a restaurant of this size. That’s
where we called in Michaela’s stepfather, Dave Grant, who
had many years as a chef under his belt. Her mother Cindi
had been at Bogart’s for 14 years and was excited to bring
her experience to the family business too. As a family, we
were a powerhouse of 4 owners. We knew the day would
come for them to retire, but that didn’t make it any easier
when the day came. We are proud to be at the point
where it is just Michaela and I as owners and add our own
touches to this special place!
What is your adult beverage of choice
when paring with food?
A new beer, one I’ve never had!
When are you happiest at work?
One of the biggest honors we have is being a part of our
customers’ family celebrations. Whether it’s a baby or
bridal shower, birthday party, rehearsal dinner, wedding
ceremony or reception, or even a class reunion, it is such
a special thing for us to be a part of. But even better is
seeing those same faces in here regularly. It warms our
hearts for Southern Porch to feel like family to so many.
Have you had any celebrities come
to your restaurant?
Pastor Paul Brown! I consider that guy a celebrity!
Who does the cooking at your home?
It’s me if we everrrr cook at home. When we have the
opportunity to get away from Southern Porch, we LOVE
eating local and trying new restaurants. It’s the best way
to get fresh, new ideas.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Dark chocolate is definitely my guilty pleasure, but
Bourbon is creeping up as a very close second!
Tell us about your staff.
Monte, Kristin, Shelley and Vickie have been here since the
beginning for us! So many of our other staff have been here
for quite some time too. Our staff is really what makes this
place special and is who keeps bringing our customers back
and back again.
Describe your approach to hiring staff.
What do you look for?
We are lucky to have a great core group for our staff that
we rarely do much hiring, but we are always accepting
applications! We look for someone who has a great personality
and can help our customers feel right at home. My favorite
question to ask a perspective staff member is what their
favorite dish is!
Recall someone who you have trained or
mentored. Where did they start and where
are they now?
One of our young staff that started as a dishwasher and
quickly earned his way to be a line cook, now aspires of going
to culinary school. It is exciting for us to know what one of our
staff may go on to do big things, whether he goes on to be a
chef or even own his own restaurant one day.
cont. on pg 18
15
/jukeboxjunctioneat.com
/maggievalleyrendevousrestaurant.com