I do not make New Year’s resolutions. If there’s something in your life that should be changed for the better, why wait for some arbitrary date on the calendar to do so?
I can, however, also understand the significance of a new year and using that to set achievable goals, short- and long-term. For this column going into the New Year, I plan on visiting more food trucks, diners and small, ethnic-food establishments. My hospitality-consulting business goals for the new year are almost set and I may be a part of a significant project that should open by the end of 2025. Plus my latest side hustle – more on that later – is nearing fruition.
My friends running brick-and-mortar establishments, or their own hospitality projects, have their own ideas on New Year’s resolutions and several have shared them with me.
Read John Malik’s past columns
Adam Ashcraft is a hospitality recruiter in Spartanburg and his goals are fairly straight forward: Travel more – 2025 includes a visit to Greece – and worry less.
Stephen Baity is a much-sought-after private chef and, for those of you who patronize the Travelers Rest Farmer’s Market, he’s the Pop’s Secret Seasoning guy. His plan is a bit more esoteric: get back to the basics, strengthen his foundation and serve the community.
Carlos Baez, chef of Mr. Crisp, told me: “I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. If I want to change something, I start now. I don’t believe in waiting until tomorrow or next year. My goal remains the same every day, what did I do wrong yesterday, what am I going to do now to change?”
Matthew Tellier, the bar manager at Scoundrel, plans to streamline the bar and focus on creating memorable cocktails and service their customers will love.
Diego Campos of Camp believes that “as a chef, it is pretty easy to worry about everyone else and put yourself last. I want to take better care of my health, mentally, spiritually and physically. Also pushing the team to be better faster and stronger. It’s a broad goal, but we will be fine tuning consistency, menu development and attention to detail as a team.”
Chef Taylor Montgomery, formerly of Urban Wren, plans to focus more time on the farm he and wife, Fran, own in western North Carolina. They’re presently planning a commercial kitchen at Montgomery Sky Farm and that will enable them to host culinary events with guest chefs. Taylor and Fran also plan to focus on reviving some historic fruits and vegetables because, like many of us in hospitality, they fear the monotony of modern commercial agriculture.
What about you? Is there a cuisine missing in our town that you’d like, or perhaps a young chef doing pop-ups that you want to see find a permanent location? Drop me a note and perhaps we can make it happen. Happy new year.
