Meet Suzana Silvestre

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Suzana Silvestre a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Suzana with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
One can say that my work ethic is in my DNA. My parents were Portuguese immigrants and didn’t speak English. They always worked. When I was seven we left the central valley where my dad worked on the dairies and my mom cleaned houses. My dad wanted a better life and got an opportunity to work in auto shop in the San Francisco Bay Area. My mom continued to clean houses and they took up janitorial work in the evenings. At home my mom kept a very clean house and cooked meals from scratch as my dad demanded his traditional Portuguese dishes.

I was along for the ride. As a small child my mom would take me to the houses with her that she was cleaning as we took care of our own; no child care. My parents always distrusted the world around them. The four of us were always together.

Through the years my brother and I would join them in their janitorial work after school. I hated it but I could never get out of it. Now as my kids are teenagers, I see myself in them when asking them for help cleaning. I know I am instilling in them what my parents did in me. Hard work.

My parents taught me; if you wanted a roof over your head you had to work to keep it. Food in the fridge, gas in the car, clothes on our backs – we had to work. We did not take vacations; we did not spend money on fancy things but we had everything we needed. Food was a huge deal in my house; always outside cooking, always dinner, always family friends over spending the weekend with us.

My mom would make large trays of meat that would last the weekend for everyone to eat, eat, eat. She always had salads, jellos, cakes, beers, wine. We had great times.

We had to work for all of that. My parents always showed up for work. Never called in sick, never made excuses and always looked for more work. If my mom were to lose a house I remember her being so down and worried because that loss of that $50 was going to hurt our family. Just as I worry when my weekends are not booked yet with events, or if I lose a bid on a proposal or if we have a slow sales week.

But we are Silvestre’s. We are Portuguese. We are immigrants. We work so that we can live. It is not about the amount of money, it is so that we have money, that our hard work goes towards things that we enjoy and need.

My work ethic comes from my parents and their parents who were farmers. They farmed so they could eat and they could live. My kids will have the same work ethic.

My own elongated philosophy on work is that we are all connected. If I am hired on by a company, they are giving me money to do a job for them. I show up and do the best job possible. I don’t want to fail. I want to learn. I want to feel like I earned my money so that when I sit in my back yard that I paid for I know I earned that glass of wine that I am enjoying. I want my boss to make more money. I want our micro economy and the society I am in to prosper. If they prosper I can continue to enjoy my glass of wine and perhaps enjoy it with a neighbor because I want them to have the same things I have.

Salud

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My Brand is Chive and it was developed as a vegan restaurant – through the years, post covid it has evolved into a catering and event planning business.

I am a creative. I have passion. I love to see other people enjoying my creations. Through the restaurant industry and post COVID slaughter of our industry I was finding it hard to create. It has brought so many difficulties and hardships that I realized I was fighting for something that no longer existed. During this I was busy with catering, weddings, private chef events and event planning.

Prior to opening Chive my background was Marketing and throughout my life between my parents and my various career moves I was always the Chef and the Event Planner for friends and family. I was hired to help with weddings, I was the first to volunteer to host the Shower and I loved it. My friends mean the world to me and I wanted to shower them with my love and my creations.

I never left that. I brought that to Chive but after building a restaurant I realized that my passion is events and weddings. Year by year my portfolio continues to grow and I am so honored to be chosen to participate in these special moments.

I take my job very seriously. Being responsible for the food, decor, ambiance, flavors, vibe of an event is a great responsibility.

As the restaurant continues to wind down, events and catering will soon be solely what Chive is a about.

Chive is a Caterer and Event Planner specializing in custom events for their clients. Details Matter. Our culinary expertise encompasses Vegan Cuisine and Allergen Friendly menus to assure that clients have a perfect menu for their guests. We listen to what you need and show up to show out.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Organization – I think it is a part of me, but I do believe it can be a learned behavior. I think in forms of file structure. My approach to projects and life are thougt in categories. Make time to establish your methods, organization and approach. What makes your mark?

Honesty and Accountability – Be honest with yourself, be honest with others. Tough conversations need to be had or no-one evolves. Be accountable for your wrongs and rights and make others accountable for theirs. This includes boundaries. Protect your peace.

Business – I wanted to say marketing or maybe social media, but everything is ever changing. Generally taking time out to read business articles and magazines is important so you can know what is out there for you. Everything can be re-purposed for your own business.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
There are so many, and I know I am not the only one facing them. It is a tough time in our economy and a tough time for small businesses. The mental, physical, and financial fatigue is real.

I am downsizing. One goes through the thought of this being a failure, well if it is then I am failing and I am ok with it. I am taking a step back to focus on what is important to me, what I can do with minimal overhead, and I am constantly number crunching to see how I can lower overhead.

The past few years have cannibalized everything, and it can’t go on. So I hit the spreadsheets and I am making my next plans.

I am always thinking. If something is not working I will not stop thinking. My friend laughs at me, if you asked her to give you one phrase to describe Suzy it would be “She always figures it out.”

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Chuk Nowak

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