931: Rachel Miller Chef/Owner Nightshade Noodle Bar

Rachel Miller first fell in love with cooking while working at a small restaurant on the coast of Virginia, where she's from. It was there that she discovered the sensory impact of terroir, since the restaurant sourced ingredients from nearby farms and local fishermen. She also discovered a love for butchering and charcuterie, which quickly propelled her to move to Boston to pursue an entry level butchering job at Lionetti's in the South End. Over the next 12 years, Rachel studied and cooked every day working her way up in some of the best kitchens in Boston, most notably as Chef de Cuisine at Clio, Ken Oringer's flagship restaurant. Prior to Clio, she was named one of Zagat's 30 Under 30: Boston's Hottest Up and Comers, as Executive Sous Chef at Bondir. Once Rachel ran out of opportunities operating other chef's kitchens she decided to move forward and open her own restaurant. For over 2.5 years she worked as a private chef and booked Nightshade Pop Up dinners in and around Boston and the North Shore, learning and growing into her own style. In October of 2019 she opened her first baby, Nightshade Noodle Bar in downtown Lynn, MA where she lives and can be found cooking on the line every night. Follow Rachel for a glimpse from behind the scenes of the Nightshade Noodle Bar kitchen and her next project, Sin City Superette, next door. Check out episode 923 with Brendan Vesey as mentioned in today's episode! Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Join Restaurant Unstoppable Network and get your first 30 days on me!  Connect with my past guest and a community of superfans. Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!) Favor success quote/mantra: "Everything I do is to the best of my ability." In this episode with Rachel Miller we will discuss: Travel when you are young Mentors Ego Pop ups Insurance Marketing Building a diverse clientele Creating an email list Today's sponsor: Join the 60-day Restaurant Systems Pro FREE TRAINING. This is something that has never been done before. This 60-day event is at no cost to you, but it is not for everyone. Fred Langley, CEO of Restaurant Systems Pro, will lead a group of restaurateurs through the Restaurant Systems Pro software and set up the systems for your restaurant. During the 60 days, Fred will walk you through the Restaurant Systems Pro Process and help you crush the following goals: Recipe Costing Cards; Guidance in your books for accounting; Cash controls; Sales Forecasting(With Accuracy); Checklists; Budgeting for the entire year; Scheduling for profit; More butts in seats and more… Click Here to learn more. 7shifts is the team management platform for restaurants. From hiring to scheduling, training, and retaining, they've got the tools you need to help you run your business with ease. Better understand your restaurant, hit your labor targets, and keep your entire team connected. Plus, 7shifts integrates with POS and payroll systems you already use and trust! Join over 30,000 restaurants using 7shifts today. Restaurant Unstoppable listeners get 3 months for free. Sign up here: https://www.7shifts.com/unstoppable Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Compassion What is your biggest weakness? Compassion What's one thing you ask or look for when interviewing/growing your team? "Why are you here?" What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Hiring Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. "Everything we do is to the best of our ability." What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? Keep a record of what regulars order to reference the next time they come in What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? Setting The Table by Danny Meyer GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM  What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influence operations? Resy What is one thing you feel restaurateurs don't do well enough or often enough? Thank their staff If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be? Apply an admin fee and pay everyone fairly Do everything to the best of your ability Keep your sidewalk clean Contact: Email: [email protected] Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you'd like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post. Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Huge thanks to Rachel Miller for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time! Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!