We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tracey Dudziec-deWaal a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tracey, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Owning a restaurant is an exhilarating journey that combines creativity, determination, and strategic thinking. Long, back breaking hours on your feet, so much time away from family and friends, financial contraints, managing employees and guests and rising food costs. A strong work ethic is crucial- without it our restauant would never have made it through these last 25 years. I can attribute my strong work ethic to my parents. My parents raised me and my siblings with an attitude of you can do anything- you just have to figure it out. So that is how I live. My husband and I have had to “pivot” our buisness over and over again throughout the years in order to stay relevant. Figuring things out as we went. When things were not working any more we made changes and kept going, we strive for excellence, even when faced with obstacles.
Even with all the challenges and hurdles over the years the thrill of creating something unique and the satisfaction of serving delicious food and creating memorable experiences for guests is unparalleled.
Our restaurant has become part of the local fabric of our community, connecting with regulars who have become family and contributing to the local culture. Over the years we constantly reframe challenges as opportunities for growth and we practive gratitude and focus on the good.
A strong work ethic isn’t just about completing tasks; it’s about embodying values that elevate your business, By staying disciplined, positive, and committed, we have navigated challenging times over the years with integrity and resilience.
In summary, I believe owning a restaurant is both a challenging journey and a fulfilling adventure, and success is definately not achievable without a strong work ethic- thanks Mom and Dad!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Well- a bit about me- I LOVE art and creating. I wasn’t an art major, but I wish I was. I was a business major with a concentration in retail management so I did get to take some courses centered around window displays. While my husband spends his days creating amazing recipes for our restaurant, I spend a lot of time creating and bringing to life the seasonal art installations that hang from the ceiling of our restaurant. Thousands of ambre’ roses hanging for Valentine’s Day, whimsical winter wonderlands, sparkling rain and bright umbrellas for April showers are a few examples. I am currently working with a group of young adults with disabilities creating “May Flowers” out of upcycled egg cartons that will be on display for the summer. This project will be a fundraiser for Katie’s House, Inc of which I am a Vice President of the board of trustees. Painting the flowers with the group was such a great experience and I can’t wait for them to see the end result hanging up.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Hard work ( a strong work ethic) determination and a sence of humor. If your not having fun, why do it? If you believe in yourself and your product or service then keep at it- dont give up!
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents are amazing. In addition to instilling a strong work ethic in their children, the most impactful thing they did for us was taught us love. There are 5 children in our family and 4 of us are adopted. My mother ran an organization that brought children from third world countries to the U.S. for medical treatment so we fostered over 60 sick children, as well as, fresh air fund kids and Vietnamese refugees. We were taught that it doesn’t matter the color of your skin or the amount of money you have, we are all people and if someone needs help, you help them. At 81 years old my mother is still going strong running a non profit- I can only hope to be half the woman that she is.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.andreslakeside.com, crankynoodles.com, intimatenorthjerseyweddings.com
- Instagram: andreslakeside
- Facebook: andreslakeside/facebook.com
Image Credits
Tracey deWaal
