Office & Admin
Aimee Olexy
Owner | Talula's Table, Talula's Garden, Talula's Daily, The Love
Experience
2001 - 2005
Co-Owner
DjangoPhiladelphia, PA
1998 - 2000
General Manager, Director of Restaurants
1994 - 1996
General Manager, Director
Kimpton GroupDenver, CO
Education
1996 - 1996
Wine and Culinary Program
Université du VinSuze-la-Rousse, France
Advice from Aimee Olexy
Quotes about career path, skills, and teamwork from an industry leader.
I opened my first restaurant Django in Philly when the city was in need of authentically food-driven restaurants.
It quickly became a well-known establishment in town. A few years later, we decided to sell it and I moved back close to home to open Talula’s Table, in Chester County, PA. It was one of the first hybrid restaurants: it is a restaurant and a gourmet market that sells cheese, coffee, wine, and beer. I wanted to showcase all aspects of the culinary world, having worked front of house and being a trained chef. Talula’s Table is now 11 years and we were just nominated for Outstanding Restaurant for the 2018 James Beard Awards!
My newest restaurant is called The Love (opened in partnership with Stephen Starr) because love is the most important ingredient in what we do.
It’s not about how fancy or how molecular you get, but it’s about the care of the hospitality industry. Whether you’re in service or culinary, you need love to create a great dining experience.
You have to always keep learning.
This job requires dedication and self-motivation. Set high expectations and make good choices that will expose you to good places and businesses. Stay focused – we work in a very social industry that is constantly changing.
Food is one of the most creative arts.
Just as one can find love anywhere, great jobs can be found in the most interesting places and there is a lot to learn in different places, so keep an open mind at all times.
I look for people who are grounded emotionally and physically healthy before they come to me.
You need to be a well-balanced individual to work in this industry – don't forget to take care of yourself! We make people healthy and happy for a living, it's important that you feed yourself and eat well first.
I try to create a healthy workplace for my staff by giving them a lot of independence and letting them be themselves.
At Talula’s Garden, every day at 3pm, we have a wonderful staff meal. People can come eat whether they’re working that day or not. We don’t have uniforms for our front of house team, people can wear what makes them feel comfortable.
We are very customer-driven.
I spend a lot of time in the dining room listening to people and making sure that we respond to their feedback. My guests are so inspiring, many of them are well-traveled and have a very good palate. It is so humbling to wait on someone who is very knowledgeable and a wonderful cook at home.
I love that my job is constantly stimulating.
I wouldn’t be able to do the same thing every day. I love the excitement behind different events and the changing seasons, it makes me respond in a positive way to life and keeps my brain moving forward!
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