Sunday Suppers & The Pantry

Since we are on the subject of small businesses and the great experience they offer their neighbourhood, I would like to share with you two concepts that I admire immensely.

photo above: Karen Mordechai of Sunday Suppers

I fell in love with Sunday Suppers a few months ago, but I can't quite remember how I came across it. Its founder, Karen Mordechai, is a wedding and food photographer who lives in Brooklyn with her husband and small child. Karen does an incredible job of food styling and her attention to detail is quite impressive. So far, she happens to be the best food photographer I have discovered (though if you know or can think of anyone that you find just as good, please send me contact and/or website information, I would love to explore new faces and view inspiring work).

all photos above: Karen Mordechai of Sunday Suppers

The softness of the light in every photo makes me envious of her talent. The combination of colours and angles in her pictures make every dish and each ingredient pop out beautifully in a unique way. Karen organizes events from cooking classes to theme parties in the gorgeous kitchen of her apartment and I would move to New York just to attend one of her evening gatherings (well, let's be fair, there are many, many more reasons to relocate to New York, this is just one of them). The experiences that she creates and captures on film are as enticing as they are stunning.

all photos above: Karen Mordechai of Sunday Suppers

The second business concept I want to share with you is a newer one, located in Seattle. It is the creative space of Brandi Henderson, Olaiya Land and Brandon Petit of Delancey's Restaurant and it is called The Pantry. Essentially, it is a small retail space and community kitchen where the three business partners offer locally-sourced catering, cooking classes by local chefs (for beginners and professionals) and a la famiglia dinners. It's simple, rustic, welcoming and I love it.

all photos above via I Made That

I haven't been to Seattle since it opened, which was not very long ago, but I have heard great things about it already. Their classes, including lessons in sustainable seafood cooking, jam and ice cream making, the mastering of eggs, an introduction to pizza and mexican food, chocolates, pickles, Moroccan street food, bartending, cheese-making and even doughnut making, are almost all sold out every week until November. The Pantry will be offering a food photography class as well and I can't believe it's already sold out. I'm disappointed that I won't get to go to a class for some time, but am also extremely happy for their success.

photo above via I Made That

If you live in or near Seattle and are interested in reading more about The Pantry, this is where Brandi wrote about it. Molly Winzenberg of Orangette, also known as wife of Brandon Petit and good friend of both Brandi and Olaiya, wrote about it here. Molly wrote a beautiful article about the collaboration between friends and I couldn't agree more with what she had to say. I think that the best part of both of these businesses is that they are the result of a collaboration between different people. Sunday Suppers, for example, enlists the help of small local flower shops to decorate the tables and deals with local farms to source the ingredients used to make those tasty Sunday dinners. They also recruit local graphic designers when it comes to menus and invitations and send guests home with a parting gift, always locally made, if not handmade by the team itself.

photo: Karen Mordechai of Sunday Suppers

The Pantry, on the other hand, is the result of a group of friends coming together and opening a space where everyone can work and have a great time doing what they love. It's a space where an everyday job can feel more like a gathering of friends and the result of all this hard work is a charming business where strangers and good friends can feel at home. Customers pick up on that kind of vibe right away and want to return because they feel welcomed. I believe that is a huge part of a successful company. If I ever open a space of my own, I will make sure to have a great business idea like this one, find many creative ways to reach out to customers and surround myself with a fantastic crew of friends and partners who will make going to work an enjoyable thing to do and with whom I can share those experiences.

photo above: Karen Mordechai of Sunday Suppers

Unfortunately, Vancouver is not yet open to such ideas, with laws that prohibit restaurant and business owners from doing...well, everything. Here, retail and restaurant cannot be combined, spaces cannot be shared and business ideas cannot merge. Perhaps one day I will live in a city with more openness to such concepts and I would love nothing more than to be a part of something like this. If I ever live in New York (I should be so lucky), I would work for Sunday Suppers without hesitation, for free if I must. Take note Karen Mordechai.

Though I enjoy my day job, doing what you love for a living is still a foreign concept to me. This very website is "based on the belief that when you focus on doing what you love on a daily basis, everything else just falls into place", as I chose to remind you (ok, mostly myself) at the top of the page. Sometimes I forget that. I find it incredibly inspiring to see people who risk everything to pursue what they love to do and believe in. It is said that "wherever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision" (Peter Drucker). I'm not quite at the courageous decision making part yet, but I will continue to find inspiration in others who have dared before me until it is my time to be called an entrepreneur. What would you do everyday, all day, if you were given a chance?