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Culinary Consulting & Coaching
Hi, I’m Mel! I left the corporate world more than two decades ago to follow my dream of opening a restaurant. While working every single position from front of the house to kitchen, I spent ten years soaking in all of the knowledge that I could from those around me in order to understand each aspect of the industry.
In 2014, Toby and I brought that dream to fruition when we opened Rail Cafe & Market. At the beginning, it was just the two of us taking turns ringing in orders, cooking, making drinks and serving guests (not to mention I was eight months pregnant with our third child at the time!) As we grew and added to our team, we also opened up an Ice Cream & Dessert Shop in 2019 called Cone + Crumb.
I have loved creating, growing and learning as a Chef and business owner these last twenty years. They have been some of the most challenging and rewarding times of my life as I balanced being a mom of three and an entrepreneur. In January of 2024, I decided to transition out of restaurant ownership and into consulting and coaching. I am excited to take the same passion that I have for food businesses and help other food entrepreneurs not only succeed, but flourish. I would love to help you achieve your culinary dreams, too!
What I Offer
Whether you are starting a new food business or would just like to have a fresh perspective on your existing business, I am here to help!
The food service industry is not always an intuitive one. There are many facets that are only known through years of working in restaurants and other food service establishments, but you don’t have to do it alone. I am here to consult and coach you along during the process. Being both a chef and a former business owner, I am in the unique position of having extensive knowledge about all aspects of a restaurant including front and back of house operations.
Below are just a few examples of consulting services that I offer, though there are other areas I can assist with as well. Please fill out the ‘Let’s Talk’ form below to schedule a free consultation with me to see how I can start helping you and your business.
Restaurant Consulting & Coaching
Menu & Recipe Development
My Experience
- Identify Business Needs & Goals
- New Business Development
- Equipment & Layout Plan Review
- Efficiency & Streamlining
- Identify Way to Increase Profitability
- Marketing & Growth Strategies
- Employee Training & Retention
- Owner & Management Coaching
- Standardized Pastry Recipe Creation
- Standardized Savory Recipe Creation
- Kitchen Training
- Menu Cost Training
- Workflow Organization & Optimization
- Ordering & Inventory Systems
- Menu & Food Cost Analysis
- Chef Coaching
- Bachelor Degree in Business Adminstration
- Bachelor Degree in Spanish
- Associate Degree in Applied Science - Culinary Arts
- Classically Trained Chef & Pastry Chef
- 20 years of Restaurant & Catering Experience
- 10 years of Food Business Ownership
- 10 years of Marketing Experience