This week has been busy! The community is getting back into the swing of things as summer starts winding down. Kids are coming home from camp — including mine — and somehow we are already talking about school starting again.
We still have a couple of weeks left of farmers markets, so come visit us at Mequon-Thiensville on Tuesdays or Brown Deer on Wednesdays. We have also had such a fun summer selling challah at the Rainbow Day Camp bus in the north lot here on campus — and we have sold out every week!
I truly cannot believe it is almost back-to-school time.
We are working on some new things for fall, too. One idea I am especially excited about is a Healthy Eating Club for kids at the cafe. Kids will be able to get a card stamped when they choose one of our healthier snacks — things like house-made granola bars, applesauce, fruit cups, veggies and hummus, or chicken soup. Once their card is full, they will get a free healthy snack.
I thought it could be a fun way to encourage good choices while also reminding kids that treats are great — just in moderation.
We also have lots of new people joining our team, which is exciting. It feels like there is a lot of new energy coming into the kitchen and cafe as we head into fall.
In the chaos of my summer, I realized I never really shared some of the fun events we have had the privilege of doing.
One was a Route 66-themed 66th birthday party, which was such a fun concept to play with. We created three food stations along the Route 66 journey — Chicago, Arizona and California — along with a “filling station” for drinks and a stop at the dessert table. I had such a good time building a menu around the theme and helping decorate the room to bring the whole idea together.
We also had the joy of doing a 75th birthday party in someone’s backyard, surrounded by family and friends. We had catered this couple’s anniversary party a few summers ago, so it was really special to be invited back for another milestone. He had such a clear vision for the evening — a tent, twinkle lights, a grazing table and a Middle Eastern-inspired menu — and it was wonderful helping bring that vision to life.
We also did an all-camp dinner for Camp Beber with a Greek theme and our house-made gyros.
And then there were two weddings this summer, both filled with so much joy and ruach, with a third wedding coming up this week. We have done multiple brises, family gatherings, community events, celebrations and so much more.
It really has been a busy, busy summer.
There was one moment recently that meant a lot to me, even though it might seem like an odd thing to hold onto.
During the first year of Hannah’s Kitchen, we catered a large community Seder that did not go as well as I had hoped.
I have always said that I learn from everything, and I know I will never be perfect. But that particular night taught me a tremendous amount. I thought about it for years afterward. I replayed what went wrong, what I could have done differently, and the systems I needed to change so that I would not make those same mistakes again.
Recently, while I was working a meal of consolation, a woman came up to me and asked who had catered the meal.
I told her that we had, and explained that we had been Hannah’s Kitchen until last year and were now Mosaic.
She gently put her hand on my forearm and said something along the lines of, “We had a bad exchange when you were new in business, and I know you have grown a lot since then.”
She did not want to tell me her name because she felt she had been so mean to me.
I immediately guessed the event.
“The Seder?”
It was.
We stood there and talked for a while. She told me her side of what had happened — and the funny thing was, I could have almost told her every word before she said it. I remembered it all.
And then I told her everything I had learned from that night.
I told her about the changes I made afterward, the things I do differently now, and how much I had taken that experience to heart.
I also told her that afterward I had wanted to send her a card to apologize and thank her for the feedback, but someone I worked with at the time told me not to.
I always regretted listening.
She smiled and said, “That would have meant so much.”
And I said, “I know. That is part of why I changed how I do business after that.”
That exchange meant so much to me.
We work hard to plan ahead, catch mistakes before events, communicate better and continue improving our systems. We have grown and learned an incredible amount over the years.
But being able to stand face-to-face with someone I had disappointed years ago, acknowledge it, talk honestly about what happened and let her see how seriously I had taken it was incredibly meaningful.
There was something full-circle about it.
Owning a business means there are moments you are incredibly proud of and moments you wish you could do over. I think growth comes from being willing to look at both.
I cannot change that Seder.
But I can say that it changed me.
And I am grateful that all these years later, I had the chance to tell her that.
