We recently connected with Brooke Lynch and have shared our conversation below.
Brooke, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I believe my resilience just naturally comes from within And most likely from watching my Mom throughout the years. Growing up as the oldest with three siblings in a non-traditional home started my path. My parents were divorced at the age of three both remarried and had more children. I lived full-time with my mother who basically was a single mother all of our lives and up until the age of 15 would visit my dad and his family every other weekend. Growing up I had the responsibilities of a spouse, babysitter, mother, sister, caregiver etc as far back as I can remember and most likely starting at the age of 12.
I was an old school “latchkey kid”! I had my own house key that I secretly kept in my backpack with strict instructions of not to tell anyone! I would come home from school off the bus let myself in make sure everything was locked up grab my snack and get my homework started! There would always be written instructions on starting dinner and when to expect my mom home from work along with bold print of, ” CALL ME AS SOON AS YOU GET IN AND DON’T FORGET TO LOCK THE DOOR BEHIND YOU!” With that said we lived in a very safe and quiet neighborhood… And I’m positive that every neighbor around was aware of the situation and was looking out their windows as backup, LOL!
Throughout these years I’ve watched my mom struggle as I continue to do as she is now in and out of the hospital due to a broken hip /surgery/infection… I’ve seen her struggle I’ve seen her overcome and in every situation she has tried to remain positive as do I!
For myself there have been many times of struggle and many many times of Great victories. I’ve learned to be tough in these times. I’ve also learned it’s okay to have your moment to crumble. Get yourself up, dust yourself off and keep moving.
In 2022 we opened Cork Wine Bar and Bistro and it by far has been the most difficult thing I have done in my life. I’ve been a hair stylist for 33 years and had no clue about the food and beverage industry. I have learned so much in 2 years and am very proud of how far we have come in just a short time. I am looking forward to learning more over the years. What we have created is amazing and I love cultivating new relationships within the industry.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I own cork wine bar and Bistro. Our goal is to bring high quality, fresh ingredients done simply. Being from the Northeast our menu has more of a northern flare with the little European edge to it. You can find anything from lobster rolls, homemade meatballs, Italian hoagies to fresh fish, scallops and pasta!
Our wine menu is eclectic and focused on small family-owned wineries who are vegan organic and biodynamic. We do have some recognizable labels but really like to keep the selection interesting. The wine menus change slightly every few months and will be completely different most likely twice a year.
We love get people excited about learning and trying new food and wine. We want you to feel as if you’re coming into our home. With that said there are many people from the Northeast who have transplanted to New Bern along with us. We love when they come in and are very familiar with all of our food and tastes of their home!
We typically do wine tastings a couple times a month. These are what I call leisurely and unstructured. The wine rep will casually walk around to each person/table pour the wine and talk about the history of each vineyard and all the details of the wine. I can open it
We also do five course wine pairing dinners. These are typically every 8 to 10 weeks or so. They will entail of five wines paired with five courses. We keep these interesting as well and may do regional tasting or wines typically based on a holiday!
It’s is very exciting for me to talk with people about food and wine and pairing them. But ultimately I tell people, drink what you like!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
This is hard for me to say because I feel I had NO IDEA what the heck I was doing! Hahaha
I believe my willingness to jump in and learn something I had no idea about has definitely given me the push. Fear of failure has definitely kept me going.
My ability to do so along with my love for people have been extremely helpful in this new adventure in my life.
The only advice I would have for people early in their journey is to keep going. As dreadful or as difficult as things may seem, the longer you persist the more you will learn and the better you will be.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
Together with my husband we have been able to overcome our struggles with opening a new business. We have worked together to learn and grow.
Our friends have been a huge support to us either through lending their knowledge of the industry or just coming in to eat and drink.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Corkwinebarandbistro.com
- Instagram: Corkwinebarandbistro
- Facebook: Cork wine bar & bistro
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
