We were lucky to catch up with Dawn Budd Molly Kardelis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dawn Budd, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Dawn: I’ve worked as a creative director and graphic designer for 30+ years and over the years have discovered that my passion has always been on hospitality. It matters to me to help people feel joy and comfort. I’ve always put the highest priority on being kind, optimistic, inclusive, and empathetic. We created The Dot for people to gather in a nostalgic setting to feel safe, comfortable, and joyful.
Molly: I have always loved to cook. Even as a child, I was always playing restaurant and cooking for my family. As I got older, I tried out a lot of jobs, but always had a restaurant job on the side, and eventually I realized that it was what I wanted to do as a career. I never went to culinary school, but have gained a lot of knowledge and experience from reading and working with different people. It has always been my dream to create an inclusive and kind kitchen environment where anyone could be comfortable working and collaborating in a non-competitive way and I feel that that is what I am doing at The Dot along with Dawn.
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?
Molly: I have been working in restaurants for most of my life, about 23 years. I have worked in all types of restaurants from food carts to fine dining. I spent a few years traveling and living in New Zealand and Australia in my late 20s, working in restaurants and on farms and learning from people from all over the world, which was very valuable for me. Two years ago, I started my own small home bakery called Glazey Bones where I made glazed cake donuts in different fun flavors and sold them through local coffee shops and at markets and pop ups in other small businesses. One of the businesses I popped up in recommended me to Dawn, and that is how we met!
Dawn: I’ve worked in the marketing industry for 30+ years but throughout my career I always go back to food service as my area of comfort. I love providing customers with the highest level of hospitality. It makes my heart happy! A couple years ago I opened a food truck so I could start to bring great food and the highest level of service to my customers while learning the “ropes” with a goal to open a small cafe. I needed to find the perfect person to partner with me. Someone with similar values would could create an an amazing menu and homey space. My food truck popped up at the same business that Glazey Bones had and recommended me to Molly. Meeting and working with Molly has exceeded my wildest dreams. Although our lives, hobbies, and community have intersected for years, we’d never met. It was serendipity!
Molly: After meeting with Dawn a couple of years ago, our goals aligned on the type of small cute nostalgic diner and coffee shop that we wanted to open catering to especially people with different dietary restrictions. We often say to each other that we just want everyone to be able to eat whether they are gluten free, vegan or vegetarian, we do our best to make sure we can find something for everyone that walks through our doors.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Molly: I think the most important advice I can give young people just starting in restaurants is to let your actions and skills speak for you more than your words. I would also say never be afraid to keep learning and ask questions. You’ll never be able to know everything, and the more you can learn from others the better at your job you’ll be.
Dawn: I agree! One of the best pieces of advice I received years ago and love to pass on is to surround yourself with people that are smarter than you and have different life experiences. These individuals are a great resource to learn from! I would also share how important it is to listen, be kind, and work with integrity.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Dawn: Our establishment centers around community, hospitality and inclusivity. We partner with local suppliers offering food and beverages that feature local produce and product and also offer local product for sale. Partnering with local suppliers and businesses is one of our highest priorities. We’re always looking for new ways to partner and collaborate to shine a light on small businesses. We’re interested in hosting small events with entrepreneurs including makers, artists, growers, speciality foods, and more. If you have an idea, we’d love to explore it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thedotames.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedotames/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565471353250
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-dot-cafe-ames?osq=the+dot+cafe
Image Credits
Kelly Elliott Creative
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