success

February 2020

suc·cess

/səkˈses/

noun

1.) the accomplishment of an aim or purpose

How do we measure success? Small business ownership in the food industry is hard, no question, but it’s a choice. You have to really love it to succeed. The definition of success is different for everyone, of course, but I think the basis of that thought holds true for most people.

You have to love the job enough to plumb your own sink when you need to, as my husband can tell you. You have to embrace the changes in the industry and take them as they come. You have to stay true to your vision. Consistency is key. It is truly a marathon and not a sprint. When you do the job of three people, it’s important to remember where you came from, what lessons you have learned and why you are doing what you are doing every single day. Sometimes people ask me what I think about what others are doing, but I can’t speak to someone else’s point of view; and I don’t know that anyone can, really? What works for one person, whether it’s experimental or based in classics and foundational systems may not work for another. My business is not quite 4 years old. However, having been in this industry for 25 + years I can speak from my experience - and what I have learned from my mentors:

Treat your guests as you would in your home.

Be gracious. 

Treat your staff the way you would want to be treated. 

Have integrity.

You cannot make everyone happy, but you can try.

Protect yourself and your personal stake in your business.

Surround yourself with like minded people.

There are exceptions to every rule.

Remember that you make your own choices.

Remember to take some time for self care.

What I know to be true is that we get tremendous satisfaction out of making people happy and exceeding their expectations. That’s not to say that doing so is always easy; sometimes you realize that some people are not people you would invite into your home. Awards are lovely and can help increase the bandwidth of your brand. But doing something well…not spreading too thin and really being conscious in my choices is so important to me. Life in any career is full of sacrifices. But at the end of the day I control my own destiny and my own happiness in my career path. When I wake up in the morning I try to think about what things will push me across the finish line for today. And, for me at least, that is the definition of success.

copine

January 2020

copine

[kɔ.pin]

noun 

1.) comrade (pal); petite amie (girlfriend)  [french]

I am often asked where the name for our restaurant came from. Simply put: we spend so much of our time here, Copine is like a best friend or partner.

In 2004 we had an extensive pre-opening training to prepare for Per Se. I was fresh from Maitre d’/Managerial jobs in Manhattan and Shaun was returning to the states after working in Paris for two years. Both creatures of habit, we kept sitting in the same two seats every session. We talked about Paris, New York City and Oregon (where Shaun is from) as well as his love for Seattle, where he attended high school. We bonded over our love for the restaurant industry. After we began dating (and I became the literal “copine”) we realized how closely our visions aligned. Late night planning sessions began. Eventually, in 2008, it was time to move on from New York and our lives there. The pull of exploring life on the West Coast was very strong.

We headed to San Francisco first, to work with our old friend and mentor Chef Christopher L’Hommedieu. Our time in that city was brief, but full of making new friends like Evan and Sarah Rich of Rich Table and Charles Bililies, the visionary behind Souvla. (By the way…if you are in San Francisco do NOT miss either of their restaurants.) 

Then it was off to the Napa Valley where we helped open a new hotel with Sean O’Toole (now Chef/Owner of Torc) and continued to talk out our dreams of what eventually became Copine. It was around this time that a former colleague asked Shaun if he was ready to return to the Pacific Northwest and Chef a place called Book Bindery. It was a great opportunity: our testing ground…our concept to run and operate the way we saw fit. Making that move allowed us to be introduced to the Seattle market and our future guests. But more significant was that we treated that property like it was ours. Spending all of our free time tweaking, honing and streamlining what we thought our eventual restaurant could be. After 4 years there we decided to make our dream happen.

When you take a step like that, you realize the amount of sacrifice you have to make and how much respect you need to have for your vision. Someone once said “treat it like it’s your own and someday it will be.” 

Copine seemed like the perfect name.

memory

December 2019

memory

| ˈmem(ə)rē |

noun

1. the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information

Memories of food and travel are probably what inspire Shaun and I the most. That perfectly balanced cold margarita and warm chips with fresh guacamole in Playa Del Carmen. Holding a freshly baked loaf of bread in January in Paris. Warm sushi rice rolled in a generous portion of shaved white truffles and sprinkled with lime salt at Masa in New York City. A huge slice of hula pie at Duke’s in Hawai’i. Delicious oysters with fresh herb mignonette at the Ferry Plaza building in San Francisco. Shaun once took me to eat gyros with sauce blanche and harissa on the steps of Sacré-Cœur, because that’s what he used to do on his lunch break while living in Paris. These memories serve as a catalyst for so many things at Copine.

One of my favorites is the smell of poulet rôti on the rotisseries in Montmartre. There are several outposts right around Rue Lepic that offer these roasted birds with potatoes that have been bathed in the drippings. Chicken is affordable and pretty universal, so even if you are a novice with the language (like me) you can still order with a smile and a simple gesture towards your selection. Whenever Shaun and I are in Paris we usually stop and pick one up along with some good bread and some kind of bitter greens on the day we arrive. This comforting meal comes in really handy as we recover from jet lag. We have spent many nights eating leftover cold chicken with a glass of pinot noir at 3 a.m.

The inspiration for our Sunday Suppers at Copine is based around these memories; we feel like a chicken is the definition of Sunday dinner. Whether we offer roasted, applewood smoked, buttermilk fried or something like a coq au vin we make sure it’s an easy prep and reheat for the home cook. Ours comes with two accompaniments (usually a starch and something green) as well as our house made thyme dinner rolls topped with sea salt and served with salted butter. It’s been a great way to reach out to our neighborhood and provide something just a little different than what we offer in the restaurant. (And any leftovers make a flavorful soup…or 3 a.m. snack.)

When you own your own business, you often sacrifice things like time off and vacations for a variety of different reasons. While our travels are fewer and farther between now, we hold on to these amazing memories together and call on them for inspiration all the time. Travel is restorative and the memories you make along the way are invaluable.

gratitude

November 2019

grat·i·tude

/ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/

noun

1.) the quality of being thankful

2.) readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness

Typically, Shaun and I like to keep Thanksgiving very low-key. We prefer to give our staff (along with ourselves) the day off. This year we are super happy to include my brother, Chris, who has recently relocated to Seattle. More on that later…

We often begin the day with coffee and biscuits and gravy before we start our prep for the dinner. We also tend towards a movie-marathon in the background: something like all of the Daniel Craig James Bond movies back-to-back. We snack on truffled deviled eggs and something as simple as ice cold sliced kirby cucumbers tossed with fleur de sel, toasted sesame seeds and crushed red pepper.

We usually pick wines for dinner that tend towards white and crisp to start (if we are really splurging we pop open some Billecart-Salmon) moving towards an Italian red as the meal progresses. Shaun likes to prepare a small suckling pig for the main course. It’s moist and rich with that tasty crackled skin, so I normally make the sides and keep them pretty healthy and light. Maybe simple roasted sweet potatoes with soy maple-butter and lots of cracked black pepper. Pan roasted brussels sprouts or green beans are always great alongside a salad of bitter greens with fresh herbs, preserved lemon, toasted pine nuts, currants and good Moroccan olive oil. We sometimes order a tart or pie from Macrina Bakery if we feel like we want dessert. The point is simplicity and things that are pretty easy to execute; we just relax and get to enjoy each other’s company.

On a more personal note, last year I spent Thanksgiving with Chris in Minneapolis, as he had an important surgery scheduled for that week. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have been there with him and that a year later he is now living here in Seattle. It’s so vital to take a breath and be thankful for what surrounds you, not just on Thanksgiving, but every day. As I get older it has become more important to put aside that extra 15 minutes a day to reflect. It’s a work in progress for sure, but something I now consider part of my morning routine. When you can see the forest and appreciate each tree that goes into creating it, that’s when you’ve really experienced gratitude.

Wishing you a beautiful Thanksgiving…

Jill

partnership

October 2019

partnership

/ˈpärtnərˌSHip/

noun

1. the state of being a partner or partners

Shaun and I have only worked in the back and front of house respectively, and our goals have always aligned: seek out great places to work and learn, in order to create something we can be proud of.

Make a place that feeds our guests, our staff and our souls. 

We met opening Per Se in New York City in 2004, surrounded by an incredible team of people. It’s very rare to be part of an opening that’s as magical as that one was. Looking back on that time was the inspiration for our Alumni Dinner Series. Reconnecting with these partners from our past and telling their current story alongside our own. A very special thank you to: André Hueston Mack, Philip Tessier, Timothy Hollingsworth, Matt Louis, Paul Roberts, Aaron Grosskopf and John Adler for taking time away from your very busy lives to join us here at Copine…you all are the ultimate inspiration for team building.

Creating lasting partnerships with those that surround you is a must. Most of us in the hospitality industry know that finding a work-life balance is difficult; by and large work is life. This business is full of so many unknowns; you really need a rock solid foundation in order to hang on tight for the ride. Are my partnerships strong? Absolutely. With my husband and business partner, my team, my investors, my neighbors, my building manager. Each of these is so important. Without the ability to partner with those closest to you, it’s very easy to get lost. When I have a regular guest who shares with me that they are dealing with a family member in hospice, I do what I can to make their evening extra special. And my team, my partners, rally around these folks. When an employee admits their personal struggles to me, I do everything within my abilities to help them. When my staff says to me “take a day off…we will take care of things” I feel such gratitude. We built our work family, slowly and over time. Snow storms, equipment issues, cook shortages, decreases in business level, increases in costs, payroll taxes. These unforeseen things are all part of small business ownership. Life is not perfect. Perfection does not exist - it’s the journey to get there that makes the difference. 

Having partners that lift you up when you need it is everything.

hospitality

September 2019

hos·pi·tal·i·ty

/ˌhäspəˈtalədē/

noun

1. the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers

This word is my benchmark.

What we strive to do at Copine everyday is provide delicious food in a personable and professional environment. We try to make Copine a place to forget about the very real struggles in this world for a few hours.

The restaurant business has exploded in a way that has not allowed hospitality to grow at the same pace. Ultimately, folks can dine at home. What brings them out is the feeling of being cared for and the very real sensation of comfort. I am very grateful to have had mentors that have helped to shape my ideas about what going out to dine should be. People like Kate Edwards, Christophe Chatron-Michaud, Michel Darmon and Laura Cunningham have all had a tremendous impact on me and my ideas about what hospitality can be. These are the things that I focus on with my team.

We have all of our systems and structures in place based on years of professional experience. Ultimately, though, there is no success without a strong team. This is the building block for any restaurant. Shaun and I cannot do what we do without the group of likeminded individuals who understand our vision: consistent, technique-driven cuisine served with knowledge in a hospitality driven environment. Nothing stuffy. We are fortunate enough to have folks that have been working with us for upwards of 6 years, who exemplify generosity and real care for each other and for our guests. Our team is everything. We treat them the way we expect to be treated and how we would like our guests treated. 

Locally, there are unlimited choices in the food landscape. Fine dining has its own rules. To know that our team have our backs means everything and pushes Copine to a level we are very proud of. People have asked me on multiple occasions about internal operations and day to day goings on. Here I will do my best to share some thoughts on hospitality, our restaurant and why we do what we do.

I look forward to sharing our journey…

See you soon!

Jill