We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jarrett Stieber a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jarrett , 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?
I think in many ways, one’s work ethic is an intrinsic thing. One is either born with a natural inclination to push towards their desires with above standard effort, or they’re not, and I’ve always felt a natural tendency towards working. My father was a good example of how that effect looks in reality, too, though, as a transplant surgeon. He worked insanely long hours while I was growing up and had to be on call at any moment, whether it was to harvest organs from a donor or tend to an emergency procedure with a patient and everything in between. I saw not only his drive; knowledge and attention to detail but also the way his unique work ethic built a reputation amongst his colleagues and patients. I’ve approached every day as a cook with hunger to grow, to learn, to be the best version of myself for my restaurant, my family, my staff and my guests.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am the chef/owner of Little Bear, a neighborhood restaurant in Summehill ATL with a focus on hyper-seasonal cooking and cocktailing, as well as a curated list of small production wine and spirits. We source all of our fresh product locally and are a proud multi-year Georgia Organics Farmer Champion Gold Tier Partner and Slow Food ATL Snail of Approval Recipient. The aim of the restaurant is to provide upscale, well sourced food and beverage in a more casual, approachable and affordable setting within our intimate 30 seat restaurant.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Don’t have an ego, have drive. Make sure you’re a good teammate to you coworkers. Think before you speak and treat others with respect. Nothing is given to you and you need to earn what you want with sweat.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Embrace it. I like to think of stress and anxiety of the fuel that powers the engine. Use it to continue propelling you forward, to remain vigilant in your work, as a reminder that you have control of preventing your employees from feeling the same way, think about how your customers and friends and family believe in you… then take a deep breath, realize you have a little more time than you think at any moment and push on!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.littlebearatl.com
- Instagram: @littlebearatl
- Facebook: Facebook.com/littlebearatl
- Twitter: @littlebearatl
Image Credits
All interior and food shots credit: Gabriella Valladares (@gabriellalepage on IG). Head shot credit: StarChefs (@StarChefs on IG)
