Join host Eldon Palmer as he sits down with the inspiring Chef Jenna Arcidiacono to discuss her incredible journey from Manhattan to San Francisco and eventually Grand Rapids, MI with a few lessons and adventures on the journey! Chef Jenna shares her passion for food, love, and kindness through her restaurant Amore Trattoria Italiana and her heartwarming initiative, Food Hugs. This episode is filled with touching stories of compassion, adventure, and the power of community. Listen in to hear how Chef Jenna’s experiences and family heritage shaped her into the culinary force she is today.
Five Takeaways from this episode:
The Power of Food Hugs: Chef Jenna’s initiative, Food Hugs, started during the pandemic to support frontline workers and has grown into a movement of kindness, providing meals, groceries, and even vehicles to those in need.
Community and Connection: Jenna emphasizes the importance of connecting with others, whether through shared meals, support during tough times, or simply offering a smile and a kind word.
A Culinary Journey: From working at a small drive-in in Kentwood to managing a renowned restaurant in San Francisco, and finally opening Amore Trattoria Italiana in Grand Rapids, Jenna’s journey showcases her dedication to the culinary arts and her entrepreneurial spirit.
Family and Heritage: Jenna’s story is deeply intertwined with her family history, from her parents' meeting in New York to her Italian husband’s large family and their rich culinary traditions. These influences play a significant role in her approach to cooking and hospitality.
The Impact of Kindness: Throughout the episode, Jenna shares numerous stories of how small acts of kindness have a profound impact on people’s lives. She encourages listeners to think of others and take action, no matter how small, to make a positive difference in the world.
THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: THE PALMER GROUP real estate team. The Palmer Group is an energetic team within 616 REALTY led by Eldon Palmer with over 20 years of experience helping people navigate the home buying and selling process in West Michigan. To support the channel and all of our guests, contact Eldon@ThePalmer.Group, drop a COMMENT, SHARE, LIKE or SUBSCRIBE to this podcast. You can also learn more at https://thepalmer.group/ Whether moving to Michigan or another state,, we can help and we would love to chat with you over a coffee or your favorite beverage on us!
HAVE A SUGGESTION? WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE PODCAST? Reach out to Eldon@ThePalmer.Group or send us a DM.
**WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR 5 STAR REVIEW**
Join host Eldon Palmer as he sits down with the inspiring Chef Jenna Arcidiacono to discuss her incredible journey from Manhattan to San Francisco and eventually Grand Rapids, MI with a few lessons and adventures on the journey! Chef Jenna shares her passion for food, love, and kindness through her restaurant Amore Trattoria Italiana and her heartwarming initiative, Food Hugs. This episode is filled with touching stories of compassion, adventure, and the power of community. Listen in to hear how Chef Jenna’s experiences and family heritage shaped her into the culinary force she is today.
Five Takeaways from this episode:
The Power of Food Hugs: Chef Jenna’s initiative, Food Hugs, started during the pandemic to support frontline workers and has grown into a movement of kindness, providing meals, groceries, and even vehicles to those in need.
Community and Connection: Jenna emphasizes the importance of connecting with others, whether through shared meals, support during tough times, or simply offering a smile and a kind word.
A Culinary Journey: From working at a small drive-in in Kentwood to managing a renowned restaurant in San Francisco, and finally opening Amore Trattoria Italiana in Grand Rapids, Jenna’s journey showcases her dedication to the culinary arts and her entrepreneurial spirit.
Family and Heritage: Jenna’s story is deeply intertwined with her family history, from her parents' meeting in New York to her Italian husband’s large family and their rich culinary traditions. These influences play a significant role in her approach to cooking and hospitality.
The Impact of Kindness: Throughout the episode, Jenna shares numerous stories of how small acts of kindness have a profound impact on people’s lives. She encourages listeners to think of others and take action, no matter how small, to make a positive difference in the world.
THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: THE PALMER GROUP real estate team. The Palmer Group is an energetic team within 616 REALTY led by Eldon Palmer with over 20 years of experience helping people navigate the home buying and selling process in West Michigan. To support the channel and all of our guests, contact Eldon@ThePalmer.Group, drop a COMMENT, SHARE, LIKE or SUBSCRIBE to this podcast. You can also learn more at https://thepalmer.group/ Whether moving to Michigan or another state,, we can help and we would love to chat with you over a coffee or your favorite beverage on us!
HAVE A SUGGESTION? WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE PODCAST? Reach out to Eldon@ThePalmer.Group or send us a DM.
**WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR 5 STAR REVIEW**
Hey, welcome back. Today we have Chef Jenna. I'm going to murder this, but Archidiakono, archidiakono, yes, okay, close enough, anyway, yeah absolutely no one says it right, don't ever feel bad. Yeah, I've heard it. You know, our daughters play lacrosse together, so I've heard a lot of different versions of that.
Speaker 2:Yes, it took three beers for him to say it right last night, and he did so.
Speaker 1:It worked out great, awesome, perfect. So you are known for a lot of things. You have so much going on. What do you want to start with here?
Speaker 2:I don't know. What do you want to start with?
Speaker 1:So you know, to me the first thing I think of even though you have more like food, hugs is sort of what I see is you kind of like as the person. So why don't we just start with your origin story a little bit? Let's get back to where it all started the little Jenna.
Speaker 2:Well, I have some fun stories about that too. So my parents met in New York City. Well, I was actually born in Manhattan and my parents had Lamaze class with Carly Simon and James Taylor oh, no way Is that crazy. And I know I wasn't switched at birth because I can't sing. So I'm like a big city baby and I think that, even though I didn't live there, there's something about a big city that I still loved. Yeah, and I feel like I'm a big city girl living in a small big city. I love Grand Rapids, don't get me wrong. Yeah, so my origin is Manhattan.
Speaker 2:First, my dad worked for American Seating, so they transferred him. They didn't want me to grow up in a big city, so they transferred him to the American Seating here in Grand Rapids, and my mom was a teacher, so she could work anywhere. So I grew up in Kentwood and I loved growing up in Kentwood. Um, back in the day, see, I'm old. So, yeah, um, I started school, me too. Um, I gosh, I started kindergarten. In what year? Would that have been 80s? Okay?
Speaker 1:And then you might be younger than me. Then See, See.
Speaker 2:So I went to Glenwood Elementary, then I went to Valleywood Middle and then I went to East Kentwood High School. I played tennis and volleyball. Neither of my girls did either of those, no. So I actually got a tennis scholarship at Grand Rapids Community College and I went there for two years, loved it. We went to Nationals Awesome Wow which was in Waco, texas, if you remember anything about Waco Texas.
Speaker 1:I remember being in typing class in school in high school. I think I was a freshman, maybe in high school. When that all went down, we all stopped and watched the TV or something. Yeah, wild.
Speaker 2:Right, so not a great place for a tennis tournament. It's way too hot there. I don't know why they didn't do it somewhere else, but we had a blast. Actually, the girls and I stay together. We we get together every Thanksgiving, still after this many years. I mean, we graduated from CC in 94. Okay, I graduated from CC in 94. Okay, I graduated from East Kenwood in 92.
Speaker 1:Oh same here, so we graduated. We're the same age You're 50-ish yeah same age. I'll be 50 this year.
Speaker 2:Oh see, I'm older than you, bro.
Speaker 1:I forgot. Yeah, you had your pink party, I had my big party, yeah.
Speaker 2:So when I was at Kenwood my first job ever was at Cook's Drive-In and that was a chili dog root beer float joint and that's where I started getting kind of a passion for food service industry. I always loved food, don't get me wrong. My grandma I looked forward to seeing her. She lived in Pennsylvania so we traveled to see her only twice a year because you know it's hard. We would drive there in the summer. My mom would have her last reunion in the summer right on the Allegheny river and then we would go again for Christmas, no matter what. You know, if it was crappy weather we still drove. My dad, luckily, likes to drive, so he would take. You know we would all go, and I'm an only child too. So that's another part of what makes me crazy. I think.
Speaker 2:I always wanted a sibling but I just never got one and so luckily my parents allowed me to have friends on trips so I wasn't completely alone Most of the time I would bring a friend, but I loved my grandma's. My grandma is the OG food hugger. She made like 40 different kinds of cookies at Christmas time and would wrap them up and give them to everyone, all of her neighbors. She would go to Walmart, pass them out to the greeters, um, and I can just remember the smell of her house in in the Christmas time because there were so many different cookies. But my favorite cookie she made was orange cookie and it's like sour cream orange cookie and I'd make them as a tradition every Christmas still just to honor her, as well as her Chex Mix, because I'm obsessed with that too. Okay, but anyways, going back to Cook's Drive-In, I was already a big fan of food, loved it. Didn't realize how much I loved it until I started in the industry and, funnily enough, I'm a vegetarian. So making chili dogs was hilarious for me because I would.
Speaker 2:I mean this is crazy, because when I think about it now it's so cringy, because when I think about it now it's so cringy but we would stick our hands in hot dog water and grab the hot dogs with our bare hands and put them on the bun. Chili, I would literally put my arms in five-gallon buckets of meat like ground meat and my hands would come out and they would just be my arms. Hairs would be all greasy. It was so gross. Things were a little different back then. Really, yeah, when you're 16 you don't know better. But also gross like how did you not put make us put gloves on at all with that?
Speaker 2:yeah, that does seem strange, but things were differently different, you know so yeah yeah, so I was like a manager, like when I was 16 already at this little joint I painted. I have an art degree, so I painted their food truck.
Speaker 1:This is before I had the degree Food truck. Back then that was Food truck that has Especially here. That was not not a lot of food trucks.
Speaker 2:No. So it was cool and they like allowed me to paint their logo on the side of the food truck. I remember doing that. It was super fun. So I already was mixing food and art back then. And then I moved on to Michigan State where I worked at originally a place called Hearthstone. It was a vegetarian place so I was like, bless it's vegetarian food.
Speaker 1:finally, no hot dog, juice and rum there.
Speaker 2:But within about a month the owner shut it down and tried to pay us in hummus. Oh, no way what we can't pay for our books with hummus. Yeah, we gotta pay us our paycheck.
Speaker 1:It's hard to sling hummus on the corner either.
Speaker 2:It really is. So then I moved down right next, like a couple doors down to a place called Charlie King's, and it is still there to this day and both of my girls love Charlie King's because whenever we go to Lansing or pass through to go to Detroit, we'll stop there. Okay, and the same owners.
Speaker 1:And what are they known for? Like, what's their Korean food?
Speaker 2:Okay, We've got a good variety here.
Speaker 1:We've got, like, I know, coney vegetarian yeah, korean yeah, so they're Korean.
Speaker 2:But they have Chinese food. So imagine back in the day, a long time ago, like you could get a whole quart of fried rice for $3. Oh yeah, so college food? Oh sure, and then they would deliver. So it was just always hopping All year round. It was busy and so I learned a lot. Every place I went I learned so much about business ownership and I didn't know I was learning at the time. But all those places I was working I learned something new. So when I finished, like I said, I have an art degree.
Speaker 2:I started at GRCC. They have a really good from it's. I started at GRCC they have a really good art program, by the way, at GRCC. And then I moved to Michigan State where I moved in to with one of my best friends from since we were five. We actually were roommates with another two girls that we met at GRCC. And then we moved all together again the second year over to Center Street, which is right by the roadhouse and I could just ride my bike to class. But it was kind of hard to do when I was carrying like the biggest portfolio on the planet. I would have to balance this big portfolio on my bike and you know, just fun college stuff.
Speaker 2:But I loved my time at Michigan State and as soon as I graduated I moved to San Francisco. Okay, I literally packed everything up the week after and my dad helped me drive me my car and all my stuff. But previously I went to San Francisco to try to find out somewhere to live and I found a place in Marin County, which is like the richest county in all of. Have you heard of Marin County?
Speaker 2:Yes, I lived in California for three years. Okay, so you know college too. So, yeah, so I was in Marin County, north of San Francisco, um, for about year and I lived with two gentlemen who were both working out of their homes and had businesses in the home, and so I was just a weirdo, wow. So I got a job at a place called the Good Earth Cafe where I was serving and I waited on people like Bob Newhart Santana, like Clint Eastwood will walk by all the time because he's from you know he would come into town. So it was really cool for me, like as a little city girl, to meet like big time stars.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And then I got the. I don't remember exactly how I got the connection, but I got an awesome apartment in the city. Remember exactly how I got the connection, but I got an awesome apartment in the city and it was 900 bucks a month for three bedrooms with wow, with uh, does that work?
Speaker 1:I don't remember anything back then. I don't either I really don't.
Speaker 2:And they even had laundry, you know, like that never happens, and it was in a little part of san francisco called North Beach, okay, and North Beach is like the Italian section, it's like where Francis Ford Coppola wrote the Godfather, like it's got history, wow. And I loved living there. I worked and this is where I really started to learn more. I worked at uh, this was like a 10 table place called Los Teria del forno, which I didn't know what that meant at the time, because I'm like a little michigan girl sure know nothing about real italian anything. Right, because you live in west michigan, you know italian food is something totally different than what real. Real, I mean. Here's the problem that I have with a lot of things. Yeah, americans have a different view on what Italian food is until they actually go to Italy, and so authentic Italian food is much different from Americanized Italian food, and they're both great, they're just different right.
Speaker 2:Sure. So I learned from these two very mean ladies. They were just mean and awful to me. They were like you are such an idiot. How do you not know what prosciutto is? You know, like I'm like I don't know what it is.
Speaker 1:From Michigan.
Speaker 2:Come on, yeah, so I learned a ton from them about business and how a small business can render quite a bit of money, even with 10 tables, and they were like there was a line outside their door every day. So when I lunch and dinner, when I would go, they would. They made their own focaccia bread in house, which is what I do now. So I learned that from them. They're very strict on their recipes and being true and authentic to what they see and ate in Italy when they were growing up. Um, they were very specific on a lot of things that I wouldn't be that specific on. Like we don't give you more parm. What we give you is what the recipe is.
Speaker 2:Like we're not giving you extra. Um, but I learned a lot from them, but I couldn't handle how rude they were to me, so I was like I got to move on. Why do you think they were rude? I mean, do?
Speaker 1:you have a thought on that I?
Speaker 2:don't think they were meaning to be rude. I think that was just their way of talking. Sure, and I'm sensitive soul, so I was like this, this you know, I can't go to work every day and feel like my feelings are going to get hurt. Right. So I learned a lot about how to treat employees too from that.
Speaker 1:It's a great lesson coming from something like that, yeah.
Speaker 2:And I didn't realize I was learning that until now, later on. And then I moved down the street to a tourist trap restaurant, which was just like when it was busy season. You would just be packed because people were walking right up and down that street, because you walk from Fisherman's Wharf up to North Beach. Okay and um, I worked there and the owner's name was Maurizio and he would stand out front and try to bring people in and they had a special like for $9.99. So he would in his Italian accent say you know, come in. And when people wouldn't come in, under his breath he would say like some rude things in Italian which I didn't speak Italian then, so I have no idea what he was saying.
Speaker 2:But while I was living in San Francisco I had like lived it up, loved life. I was being single in a big city, doing my thing, meeting a lot of people. And then at one point, as I was maybe four years into living in San Francisco, a handsome Italian walked by, named Maurizio as well, and Maurizio, the owner, talked crap to Maurizio, not knowing he was Italian. Oh no way.
Speaker 1:That's funny.
Speaker 2:My Maurizio said to the other Maurizio, you probably shouldn't do that. Some people speak Italian around here and they, like, started joking and he came in for a coffee and I was rolling silverware and that was it. We've been married 25 years. That's awesome. He took me on a whirlwind tour of Italy. I'd never left the country. Sure, I got a passport. He, he picked me up late. I thought I was gonna die because I'd been looking forward to seeing him, because he had been in italy for a while.
Speaker 2:He's near a little bit and I was like this is when I'm coming. You know, it's a very long flight from san francisco to italy yeah, it's already very long from michigan to italy, and so I, not speaking the language, pick up a pay phone, call the number that I know to talk to his mother, who doesn't speak a lick of English, and all I'm saying is Che, maurizio, that's the only thing I knew was Maurizio there at home and she's like like yelling at me.
Speaker 2:You know probably now that I think of, she's probably telling me he's on his way. Sure, I was like in tears because I was like looking forward to seeing him, of course, yeah. So, I still give him so much crap about it. I'm like you were, you didn't, you weren't there for him when I, like I flew so long. He's just one of those guys that timing is. I think it's an Italian thing maybe.
Speaker 2:Okay, a little chill, you know well, it was an afternoon he likes to look good too, so he was probably getting ready, okay, I mean, italians don't leave the house unless they look perfect. All right, so, but anyways, obviously I forgave him. Sure worked out. Yep, he, he picked me up and we um painted italy red. It was so fun for me because of studying art, you know, I was seeing all the things that I learned in college and it was kind of like a very hallmark movie, beautiful romance and the last night he took me to meet his parents.
Speaker 2:Okay, um, and I think that's a very traditional thing too, like they don't want you to meet parents unless you're serious. Okay, very, it's very like old school, yeah, and I just fell in love with his mom. I mean, we were just soulmates from the beginning. I was like this is she's like. The thing about her is Maurizio is the baby of 11 children, right, so he is. He is just going to turn 53 and his oldest sibling is 77. So, and Nana was 96 when she passed. So can you imagine she was pregnant for 25 years of her life, that's crazy.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. Now were they on a farm I know they live.
Speaker 2:They live in an apartment, um, but they have an apartment, just yep. Imagine having three bedrooms. One of the bedrooms has three bunk beds and the other has two. Wow, it's just a different. Can you imagine.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Only two bathrooms for everyone too.
Speaker 1:We talk about that every now and then because we had, you know, our family of five in one bathroom, which here it's like oh, how do you live with one bathroom anymore? Because everybody has to have three or four it seems like. But back in the day, with all these large families, they just bunked up. Made it work.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but the most important part of this story is that non-no. His dad had a garden right down the stairs and out the door that he bought Because that was his passion was growing and making sure that they were eating off the earth.
Speaker 2:So, he planted and grew a beautiful garden which is still in the family's name. Maurizio's brother lives there and takes care of it. So they lived off of the land pretty much. I mean they, you know they even had like chickens and Maurizio remembers his mom Whack and they just that's how they did it. Back, with a big family, You've got to do what you have to do and you know Nana was one of the people that taught me how to, you know, stretch a meal so everyone gets it. She never knew who was going to show up at any time, so she always had enough food for everyone, which was so lovely. And the biggest table on the planet in their house I mean your table back here, it's a little bigger than that, Okay, Well, and just so, when everyone came over there was a seat for everyone and it didn't often happen that everyone was over at the same time. But for me, being an only child to marry into a huge family, was pretty awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Now how many mixed boys and girls? Pretty simple.
Speaker 2:Seven boys Okay.
Speaker 1:Four girls, and they're all a little bit older than you, but you kind of have instant siblings, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:All of them, all of them. So Maritza's mom was pregnant at the same time as her daughter.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, the oldest one to the older, the oldest daughter and mom were pregnant at the same time.
Speaker 2:Can you imagine being pregnant at the same time as your mom?
Speaker 1:that would be. I mean, as a man I can't at all. But but you know, I can't imagine having, yeah, my daughter, yeah, pregnant when my wife was pregnant, right, wild, right.
Speaker 2:So it's just. It's just a whole, whole cool family that I didn't and I didn't ever think I was going to learn another language because I took I took French in college and I hated it.
Speaker 1:How long did it take you?
Speaker 2:So I moved there eventually and I lived there for about nine months before I felt comfortable and that's full immersion of me being there every day. But I'm so curious at what people were saying that I had to learn. You know what I mean. Like I needed to know, right, because, like, the first time I ever went to the house and everyone was sitting at the table, there was so loud and they were like yelling and I was like I like was like Maurizio, why are they so angry? He's like, what are you talking about? We're just talking to me.
Speaker 2:It sounded angry, right, sure, so, so you know, over the years it's been fun to see how I can go right, I mean, mean it. I think, also, being an only child, it really taught me about confrontation, which I'm still very bad at, but I'm better at it because of them, sure, but, but, like, still hate it. Don't get me wrong, I'm still not a fan, but being in that big family, I got less afraid of speaking my mind. But it's just wild what your surroundings do to you, right, and and being a part of that family is pretty cool.
Speaker 1:Well, it sounds like you kind of got well rounded in a sense, cause you were kind of you've been on both ends where you want to fit in, or you had the um, you're on the other side of the restaurant owners that you say were mean, but maybe that was just a little bit similar to the you know, from what I can relate to would be like a New York, new Jersey type thing. Hey, just strong personalities, we're going to talk which has a lot of Italian influence anyway.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, so all of us really have strong personalities. That makes sense.
Speaker 2:But yeah, so it was, was. You know, like I said, every, every place I worked at, I learned more and more, and once, uh, marizio and I lived in italy three years and then, I don't know if you remember, but the lira changed to a euro, so they all voted in to be in the Euro, and that really screwed a lot of people over, because what happened was the people who own businesses. So here is the basic salary was $1,000 a month, right, okay, back then, sure, and 1,000 Euro. Euro, I'm sorry. So it was 2 000 lire, but it went to 1 000 euro. So you're making 2 000 lire at first and then it halves, right, except all of the stores kept everything the same price because they were greedy, which screwed the complete economy of Italy and all people like us who were just working for, you know, peanuts basically. So we couldn't afford to live there anymore.
Speaker 1:because of that I didn't have intimate knowledge, but I heard about that time.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So we're like, okay, it's time to move back to America. So we moved back to San Francisco for a while and then realized, I realized I really wanted to start a family. Yeah, so we moved back to Michigan, grand Rapids, where, where I was from, because that was home to me, sure, and I thought, well, we can probably make something work. So when we moved back, there was a restaurant called Tre Cugini downtown, which was the only authentic Italian place in town, and it just so it happened that the general manager, who was very Italian, was moving to Maryland. So Maurizio repped in and took that management position over and I started doing banquet management for the same company.
Speaker 2:And then we wanted we've always been very entrepreneurial, maurizio and I, so we've had a couple places. We had a place in San Francisco that was we like tore out the top of a famous deli it was like just an attic space and we turned it into our restaurant, okay, and we made that work for about a year and a half. But then that's when I really wanted to start having children, and 9-11 had happened too, which was a kind of a scary time for us, and we were living in San Francisco and they told us all to go home and get away from the pyramid building, because that's was the big building right in the middle of town financial, yeah, yeah, in the financial district. And we were. We were living in a little tiny apartment in russian hill who was literally in the basement. It was like a junior um.
Speaker 1:One time you couldn't get your three bedroom with the laundry back for 900 exactly um, yeah, I was sad to leave that apartment.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I still drive when we go to San Francisco. I'll walk by it and I'll be like that was so fun to live there. But so we, you know, we realized that cost of living was going to get worse in San Francisco. So we just, I think as a realtor, you know the price of living in different areas of this country are wild.
Speaker 1:That's why we, denise and I, moved back from los angeles. It was just yeah, cost of living was didn't make sense in the amount of time you had to travel to work right.
Speaker 2:So that's why we moved back to and, uh, we lived in an apartment first and started looking for a house. Then I got pregnant and when we moved in to our house in Lake Bella Vista, I was pregnant with Joya and she's gonna be 21. So we've been in that house 21 years, which is crazy to me to look back and think like, oh my gosh, I was pregnant and my neighbor, aaron, ran across. We love our neighbors. Aaron ran across the lawn. It was like hello neighbors, and I'm like we're gonna love it here. And he's never changed. He's he's just one of the best neighbors in the world and all of his kids are besties with my kids, which is so cool. It's like meant to be right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, but during that time we opened a little like sandwich slash pizza slash lunch spot in the ledyard building right behind trey kujini. There's an atrium there and that's what we really wanted to do. So that was our first shot in grand rapids as a little restaurant. Um, but people don't want to spend a lot of money at lunchtime. Yeah, they didn't want us to have it at dinnertime and West Michigan's a different.
Speaker 2:Yes, you don't have to tell me anymore. So we both got jobs at a retirement community called Covenant Village of the Great Lakes and I was the cook and he was front of the house putting napkins on all the ladies laps and they loved him so much.
Speaker 2:Oh my god, he was always like dressed in a suit and you know they were like fanning themselves right. It was so funny to watch the, the ladies and um, we worked there for five years um, enough to cover all of the well, you know health insurance for having a kid. And then I got pregnant again. I had jada when I was working there and then, once jada was a couple years old, my, my itch for wanting to have a business again was very strong, even though I knew it was not a good economy for it. We opened in 2010, oh yeah yeah. So people were like, are you crazy? You're setting yourself up for failure, what? And the location is crap and all you know, everything was really against us, but my drive for having my own place was so strong, yeah, and um, you know it worked out, and not without lots of bumps and bruises along the way and having a restaurant with kids that were three and five years old at the time. They were restaurant kids.
Speaker 1:I have a picture of jada sleeping in the file cabinet with her blanket that's what makes it the story so sweet, though, to me like those kind of things.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean they grew up in the basement of the restaurant watching, you know, spongebob or whatever they were doing and, um, they just grew up being restaurant kids and I don't think it's a bad thing. They saw how hard we were working and they saw that, you know, our dream was becoming a reality and even though it wasn't easy, you know, looking back, I'm so glad we did it.
Speaker 1:Business ownership isn't easy.
Speaker 2:No, it's not. No, it's not. So that's the back history.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Awesome, that was a very long back history.
Speaker 1:That was colorful. Holy history, yeah, awesome.
Speaker 2:That was a very long back history. That was colorful.
Speaker 1:Holy cow, yeah, like all over the place. I love it yeah.
Speaker 2:It's, and so this year we've been at Mori for 14 years, wow.
Speaker 1:This doesn't seem like it. It's time's flown.
Speaker 2:I know it's crazy. And they say if you make it past five, you're going to make it.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, well right, they most failed by then. So for the people that don't know what Amore is, tell us a little bit.
Speaker 2:Sure. So Amore's location was actually built in 1963 as a family-owned restaurant called Andre's, and after that it became Three Friarsars, and after that it became the alphorn house, and after that it became a brands, and after that it was o'malley's irish pub, and after that it was kansas city dip and grill, and now we've had it for 14 years lots of colorful past there too great story, yep we have.
Speaker 2:We have a ghost as well. Yeah, or two, I can't figure out if it's one or two now, because I talked to a lady. She stopped me. Where was I? I think it was at Aldi or Sam's Club and she's like started talking about Amore and she's like I was there when, oh no, I was at, there was a white elephant sale at the Y, at for the YMCA, at the old art van on Alpine, okay, yeah, and she stopped me to talk and we got to talking and she told me she was. She was alive for the tornado in 1960, I don't know, it was like 65, maybe I don't know, it was like Easter Sunday or Palm Sunday. Okay, big tornado went through and killed people. Yeah, I'd heard about.
Speaker 1:I mean just loosely.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So she was like yeah, do you know the story about? I'm like I'm pretty sure I have a ghost from that tornado and I really want to find his family, cause I think the whole time I'm thinking this guy, cause I heard there was a man who passed away very nearby and she's like no girl, that is the, the woman that they found impaled right around the corner from your restaurant by a tree because of the tornado, and I said no one's ever told me this story.
Speaker 2:Wow yeah she's like I'm gonna get you the info and I was like that might be who our ghost is.
Speaker 1:She's pissed, but anyways yeah, crazy like light this, but anyways, we have a ghost yeah crazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like this ghost will light candles in the basement on the weekend when we're gone no way. Yeah, like it hangs out there and the whole staff is kind of creeped out. They won't go in the basement if no one else is out. No, and I've been there so long. I mean it is creepy when it's quiet in there. But I just want her family or his family to come visit them and I'll treat them to a meal and they just want to see their family. I think Sure Figure out who that is. Yeah, so I'm trying. If anybody knows, is watching or can research or is really good at that, let me know. Yeah, cause we just want to like have the family come say hi, that'd be a great story.
Speaker 1:I know right, somebody could figure out. You know it's been a minute, I know those Alpine Township library girls can help me.
Speaker 2:So if you're listening, somebody probably knows. Yeah, so the building is old, has a lot of history. We get a lot of initially we got a lot of crap for what it looks like. It's. It's very like old I don't know how to describe it. It's very interesting from the outside and it doesn't really show what the inside is going to be like, and so when you get inside you're like oh, this is way bigger than I thought it was and we've tried to make it cozy and feel like home. We haven't done a lot to change it or or upgrade or anything, and I don't think we will. I think there's something about the 14 years, you know character.
Speaker 1:Yeah, why change it if it's working so?
Speaker 2:I mean it's. It's also expensive to upgrade right and and there's not a lot of extra funds when you own a restaurant right.
Speaker 1:I always say that you know. People say they want to start a restaurant and I'm like, oh, I'm always, I'm running well and and the thing about it is I always tell people that say that you know people say they want to start a restaurant and I'm like I'm running Well, and the thing about it is I always tell people that say that to me, it's my dream.
Speaker 2:I go, come follow me for a week.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then see if that's what you want to do, because it's honestly my third child right, yeah, it's 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even when we're closed, I'm still responding to people on email social media. The impact that social media has that it didn't have 14 years ago is wild.
Speaker 1:Now do you see that as a positive, negative, a little bit of both.
Speaker 2:Oh gosh, it's definitely both. I always try to keep it very positive, although a couple of weeks ago we had a dine dash that I had to call out and show a picture of. We went back and forth about it, but then we decided this is can I swear?
Speaker 1:on this podcast.
Speaker 2:Yeah you can do whatever you want Bullshit. Yeah, no one should be allowed. And if we didn't put her out there, she would have never called and paid. Yeah, allowed. And if we didn't put her out there, she would have never called and paid. Yeah, and and and the way that she went about it to call and pay was definitely because people knew who she was in the picture. Yeah, and it was a blurry picture, but people knew. Oh, I saw. It only took two hours for her to call and pay.
Speaker 1:Wow, I, I could believe it because I mean, you have such a presence and you know you're known for giving so much in the community. People were all over that. Yeah, they were, and I was, you know. I thought it was awesome just to see the community come back around you for something like that yeah, and it would have been different if it was like a $10 bill.
Speaker 2:It was a $200 bill and they, they were intentionally.
Speaker 1:Probably racked that up.
Speaker 2:Two people left first and then she left and said she was getting her purse maybe or something, and never came back. So they knew what they were doing and I think they'd been doing it more than once in this town. Okay, so hopefully this is her sign to make better choices. Yeah, but she called and was like please take it down. I paid and I'm like I took it down as soon as you paid. I'm not, you know, I'm not trying to lynch you. I'm just trying to tell you that's not okay to steal from a very small business, right, and so you know we took it down, but it was very interesting how that all went.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but for the most, social media for me is a place to be positive. I'm not seeing that from much many other people in this world. I think it's it's started to be such a mean place that that's why I refuse to be mean, like I really need to make sure that somebody sees some positivity, because sometimes I go to some comment sections and I'm like who are these people? They're so mean. This is a human being you're talking about.
Speaker 1:There's quite a disconnect many times. That's why I love seeing your stories. Like I know, I mean, and I think sometimes people are afraid to share some of the good things they do or some of the some of the maybe a little cautious, but man, every time I see a good story like you open up your kitchen for Azteca, yeah, yesterday. Yeah, I mean that stuff, like really I think that brings joy, inspiration to people that see that kind of thing. That's what I'm hoping.
Speaker 2:That's what I'm hoping you know. Initially, when I started sharing food, hugs, things or positive things, I was getting that negative corner that was like why are you filming and showing people and you're just bragging and I go? Absolutely not friends, I'm doing this because people donated money to me and they want to see where it went. Yeah, and if that doesn't bring you joy, scroll by, like there's no need for you to comment. If this is annoying to you and you don't want to see people, be happy, scroll on by. You have no need to stop and comment. Right, it's just the right thing to do. The golden rule, I mean, that's what I live by. If you can't say anything, nice, scroll on by.
Speaker 1:I don't think that's that hard. It's not that hard If you don't like positivity.
Speaker 2:Block me, delete me. I'm fine with that. Some people can't stand positivity and it makes them angry, but for me, I want it to be inspirational. Yeah, and that's the only reason I do it is I want to inspire other people to be kind, because if we can have that kind of butterfly effect on humanity right now, we really need it. We need it now more than ever After some of the shit I've seen people like post on celebrities that you don't know these people. You don't know them. There's no reason you should be shitting on their life or what they're doing. 't know these people. You don't know them.
Speaker 1:There's no reason you should be shitting on their life or what they're doing, you know so everybody has their baggage, everybody has their stuff, of course, and we just like none of that negativity helps.
Speaker 2:It doesn't, it really doesn't, and I just don't love that kids are seeing it. I don't love that teens are seeing it. I don't love that humans think it's okay to be awful to other humans, so that's why I choose to do what I do. Instead, it's just way more about like, way more it makes it makes you feel better. Yeah, I think.
Speaker 1:I find that it brings hope. It also brings you know, there's something in me. It's like man. Why am I not doing more of this kind of thing Like what can I do?
Speaker 2:A lot of people say that they're like what can I do? I go, you can do anything. Really, think about someone else for a change. Just think for one second about someone besides you and think about your neighbor who might need a meal, and sometimes it's just bringing something small. Yeah, just think ahead before you do something and make someone's day. You don't know how much of an impact the smallest kind gesture will give someone. Hope. I mean, hope is such a big word and I want to be a hope dealer. I want to be a food hugs dealer. I want to be a hope dealer. I want to be a food hugs dealer. I want to be a joy dealer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, you know, even a free smile.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's free. Being kind is free too. Complimenting someone is free. You know, if you see something that you like, say something Like whenever I see someone, I'm like oh my God, I love your shirt. Your eyes are beautiful today, not in a creepy, weird way, just like really honestly, and I will tell people that I'm like, I'm not trying to be creepy, but you're beautiful. You know what I mean, not in a sexual way, it's just I think you're beautiful today or whatever.
Speaker 1:It's awesome. We need more of that, you know. It's interesting that you said you know, see something, say something, because in the schools that's sort of a negative. I see somebody being bullied. Say something.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:At the same same time, I love how it's flipped around or something positive and say something yeah, you know, encourage people Like I feel like the more you know the social media and we've kind of you know, when I lived in California that was another challenge is people drove on the freeway, at least in Los Angeles Might be different in San Fran but and they'd come into their concrete garages and they'd stay inside. You walk out on your little condo patio and it had a six foot fence. You didn't see your neighbors. Yeah, I don't like that and I feel like you know a lot of. For as much positive that social media can bring as well, it just sort of we don't get together in community as often as maybe we should, so we kind of miss some of that.
Speaker 2:It disconnects the account. I'm going to tell you right now that's what COVID did to me was not being able to connect with people was really hard on me, and as much as I tried to give food, hugs and do do things that would make me feel better, nothing makes me feel better than hanging out with my friends and my family and I couldn't do that. Yeah, and I mean I I got to go to work. I got to. I mean we were blessed to to pivot and stay open during COVID. In fact, it was probably one of our best sales years during COVID, if you can believe that. Yeah, but that took a lot of work as well and a lot. It weighed on me a lot, and so I think my goal now is to spend time with people.
Speaker 2:I think we all are kind of drained our batteries because we haven't been. We've been on our phones too much, we haven't been meeting up. I mean, even on Friday I met with Evan's mom, stacey and Woody, and then Evan and Haley showed up and we hadn't connected for a long time. It was really cool just to sit and catch up, and I don't think people are doing that enough anymore and I think that also bears weight on mental health? Yeah, absolutely, and I think we need to talk about that more and I think the stigma behind mental health needs to be gone. And, like my friend Vani, my friend Vani has, I Understand, and you should have her on your podcast sometime. Yeah, I'd love to. She's amazing and she talks about suicide awareness and she wrote a book. She wrote a second book.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And she's really trying to get rid of the stigma behind mental health and saying you know, if you had cancer, you want to treat it. Why is mental health any different? Yeah, Still health.
Speaker 1:And people treat it Sorry, I don't, I mean I treat it with COVID and all that Like alcohol became such a thing for so many people. Covid and all that like alcohol became such a thing for so many people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, are you kidding me, you self-treat self-medicate to try to numb it.
Speaker 1:Food, you know different things, yeah, and we kind of ignore the root causes. That's huge.
Speaker 2:We do ignore it, we cover it up, we sugarcoat it, when we really, you know, need to talk about why we're doing certain things like drugs, alcohol, not exercising, not eating right. Those are all part of your mental health and you know. Eventually, when I'm ready, I'll talk about what I went through during that time, but it was not fun and I think it also had a lot to do with getting older my kids leaving, my neighbor's kid who was like my third daughter leaving.
Speaker 1:Hormones, you know, menopause, oh God and COVID, everything rolled up and trying to make sure our business you know and trying to make sure our business.
Speaker 2:You know we Maritza and I own a mortgage together, so that's our one income. So if that fails we are screwed right. So we had to figure out a way to do it. But the best part is out of the misery and out of the struggle came food, hugs and so from the fire and flames came something hugs. And so from from, from the fire and flames, came something beautiful.
Speaker 1:So we've talked about food hugs quite a bit and a lot of people know, but a lot of people don't.
Speaker 2:So what is it? So, like I said, out of COVID I started seeing mental health of people really start to decline and I noticed that food was part of their day that brought them joy. So I started delivering to frontline workers. The hospital was overwhelmed, so I started with them, and then police officers were overwhelmed, emts were overwhelmed. Everyone that was working with people who were sick a lot were so overwhelmed, and so I just started bringing them meals for free, just showing up and dropping them, and I tried to hit everybody that I could, and it's. It was also people who were losing family members that couldn't have a funeral. Um, so I would bring them food. Um, it just blossomed into whoever needed it was getting it, and even our neighborhood. When we had extra food from the day, because we were only open from four to seven, I put it on my porch at home and put it on the Lake Bella Vista feed okay and and we called them porch treats.
Speaker 2:And I would say, hey, porch treats are on the porch and it's so funny to watch people like run up to the porch they're afraid to get seen, or what. Yeah, so I still do it like once a month, I'll say hey, I have stuff on my porch now is that?
Speaker 1:do you find that it's more adults or more children or any just kind of equal?
Speaker 2:well, I mean it's anyone who can drive over there, so okay, but do they send the kids out of?
Speaker 1:the car or do they use it yeah?
Speaker 2:and I actually asked for a ring camera for Christmas. It hasn't gotten installed yet so I could see people. Oh yeah, that'd be so fun just for my personal pleasure, right, like they're creeping up like the Grinch you know, to the house it's so funny.
Speaker 1:Not 100, sure.
Speaker 2:Maybe that's the right place, or something exactly well, they see the food and have the porch light on. But it's just. It's hilarious to watch people and everyone's like I didn't get there fast enough. I was there three minutes after everything was gone. I'm like you got to be faster bro that's awesome, so fun right and?
Speaker 2:and why would I throw away food like I'm not gonna do that, that's not I want to, I'd rather give it to someone that'll enjoy it. And so that's where Food Hugs started, and it's become bigger than that. Now we started to do something called Tip Back Thursday. That was started during COVID because we were eating outside at Charlie's on Plainfield and it was my birthday with my friend we both have January birthdays and we were like I said to her we had been watching a TikToker that was doing the same thing crowdfunding and then giving tips away. So I'm like, hey, jen, do you think we can do that today? And she's like, let's try. So we both put it on our social media hey, we really want to bless with a big tip today. And within an hour we had $1,500. Wow. So we tipped the staff. They almost threw away the credit card receipt because they didn't realize how big it was. So that was our first tip back Thursday and we have done it 63 times.
Speaker 2:So $63,000 in tips to local-only restaurants and servers in the town that everyone's struggling right during COVID. So if they were open and willing to work during a pandemic, we wanted to bless them, and we continue to do that now, so we're not going to stop doing that. That's one of the things we do. The other thing we have done is gotten vehicles for restaurant industry workers that either had an issue with a car. One of the guys was walking or riding his bike to two jobs and so we got him a car. We surprised him with a car. We got a single dad had four kids under the age of five, a minivan and all the car seats and now he opened his own flooring business.
Speaker 2:That's awesome so like just bringing hope to people that are really struggling, and all they need is just one little push to help them out, and so we've given away six cars as well man, that's crazy um. They're not new cars mind you. They're whatever we could find with the crowdfunded money, you know. So Carly Fowl, who is a teacher at Rockford, also has an estate sale company, and so when she sees cars she will tell me immediately Okay, so I can get a good deal on a nice car for people.
Speaker 1:I'd love you know just to pause a real quick here that you've brought the community in, like the crowdfunding that bring it, because people I think a lot of people want to help.
Speaker 1:They do, but they don't know how Right, and you you know, reduce that friction and it's a whole lot easier to do things with other people. Hey guys, after talking to Jenna today and hearing all that she's been doing, everything she has going on, we really wanted to get involved and help grow Food Hugs. So what we've decided to do is start the Food Hugs Challenge. So what is the Food Hugs Challenge? The Food Hugs Challenge is really about giving food hugs. Now there are acts of kindness towards another person. Hope compassion might be feeding the homeless might be taking a meal to your neighbor. Hope compassion might be feeding the homeless might be taking a meal to your neighbor might be giving a gift card for a restaurant to somebody that could really use a brightening of their day. So who is a food hug for? Well, jenna started this during COVID to really help out those frontline workers that were working so hard. Now we'd like to expand that and continue to grow. That is really.
Speaker 1:A food hug is just an act of kindness for anyone in need or anyone struggling or working hard, anyone that you want to show some kindness, appreciation for. Oftentimes it's frontline worker, maybe it's a police or fireman, maybe it's somebody that's volunteering in your community or somebody going through a really hard time. That's what a food hug generally is, but you can make it your own. It's really just an act of kindness, compassion and love for somebody else. Of course, we want to respect the story and the privacy of the person that we're giving the food hug to, so just make sure you ask their permission before sharing any details.
Speaker 1:So how do you get involved? Go ahead, give a food hug and share that story using the hashtag food hug challenge. You can also tag us. We'd love to hear your story. Tag us at the Real West Michigan and that food hugs by Jenna, so that we can share your story even more. In order to kick off this challenge, we'd like to give a food hug and we'd like to do that in the form of a hundred dollar gift card to Amore, and we want you to decide who that goes to. So, in order to nominate someone, use the hashtag food Challenge, tag them in the post and at the end of June we are going to choose who of all the nominated people are going to receive that $100 Amore gift card food hug. If you don't have anybody in mind but still would like to join the Food Hugs cause. You can donate here or at Food Hugs on Venmo.
Speaker 2:And it's more fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Way more fun.
Speaker 2:And that you feel like you're doing something. Yeah, you know, even if if, if someone just donated $5, they still help get this person a car with $5. Yes, you know it couldn't.
Speaker 1:But you know if, if people didn't do that, there wouldn't be wouldn't exist, right?
Speaker 2:so a lot of food hugs is crowdfunded, and so in the first three years of food hugs it was just crowdfunded, um, we didn't get a lot of big donations, um. And then we were like I finally got a board and we were like, let's have a party because I was turning 50 in january, yeah, and so I like a party, I wanted to go.
Speaker 1:I was out of state. I know Next year I'm going to give you the date today, so put it on your calendar.
Speaker 2:You're not going to be out of state this year Actually, evan's mom is on my board, okay. So we worked very hard and threw a really raging party and it was so fun to see the days following. All everyone's photos from the event was the middle of a blizzard. A couple people couldn't come because their their flight couldn't make it, so it was really bummer. It was the only blizzard weekend we had all year, such a mild winter and has to happen. There was the one weekend. I mean it was insane how much of a blizzard it was. We our goal was $50,000 for my 50th and by the end of the party we had raised over $100,000 in a night. That's so amazing.
Speaker 1:When we talked about it before, you know, sitting at the local joint, I was like, man, that's a big goal. It was a big goal and we more than doubled it. Yeah, it's so amazing.
Speaker 2:So right now we are working on really big, impactful things we can do and we're always looking for ideas. So if anyone has an idea unfortunately there's a lot of people struggling right now. So the other thing I do is called um food hug groceries that where I'll just ship groceries to their house. I, you know, you know single moms who have messaged and showed me the refrigerator that's empty. You know they have to feed their kids. They, they don't.
Speaker 2:And then I do something also called grief groceries. So if someone passes, we send groceries to their house because, you know, in the first couple of days when you lose someone you love, you really don't feel like doing much. So just to have the and it's a basic grocery list of easy things to make and just pick up and eat, you know. So I put together a kind of a basic list of things for people. So we do grief groceries too. There's a lot of little behind the scenes, things that not everyone knows about, that we do as well. So we're just trying to make a small impact and hopefully inspire others to do something like this for people. They know, and the most important thing I love to tell people is don't ask what you can do. Just do it, because they're not. They're gonna say, no, yeah, I don't need anything.
Speaker 2:It is hard yeah they say all over just bring them groceries, bring them soup, anything you do for them, I, I tell you, when I was struggling during covid, even a letter from someone helped. Yeah, even writing a note to them and sending in the mail. That costs you, you know, 20 cents or whatever. Please know that those small things are very impactful and they don't cost you very much and it really, if we can all start to be a little more nice, I think it'll be really, really positive.
Speaker 1:I definitely agree and bringing like it helps both people, like that's such a benefit. Taking a bowl of soup to your neighbor, yeah, it's like you get the. You get the feel good. Yes, part of that about helping somebody out and they get to feel good that somebody cares.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's why I encourage people who donate to food hugs to do a food hug. So if people ask me can we do a food hug for this person, I say, will you pick it up and deliver it? Because I want you to see the joy you're bringing them just because you thought about them today. So I really encourage because I do get a lot of requests and I'm happy to fulfill them, but I can't deliver every single one of them. So I say, hey, if you're going to do that, can you, can you pick it up and deliver? And most of them say yes, some of them don't have cars so they can't, but then I have a squad that I can call and be like hey, everyone wants to help, yeah, they want to help.
Speaker 2:And then the other thing we do is I find joy in making bouquets. Okay, so I ask the community to donate all their old vases to me so I don't have to buy any vases, and then once a week I go to Trader Joe's and I fill my cart with flowers. So, like today, when I get to work I get to make some bouquets, and then during the week I give them out with the food, hugs, or give them to maybe someone celebrating a cancer journey.
Speaker 2:That they're you know, finished with chemo, I'll give them flowers at the restaurant. So those are all food hug related as well.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm just amazed at how many things you do and how you can, like, have the energy to do all this.
Speaker 2:But being kind brings you energy. I promise you Like, the serotonin levels are really nice and high when you're doing things you love and making people smile.
Speaker 1:So while we're on that, like, if we want to give that people the opportunity, how can they get involved?
Speaker 2:So hold on.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So today I have a meeting because we need to really upgrade our website. We didn't have funds for that until now, so I'm having a meeting with a really cool web designer today and at 430. So it's foodhugsorg. It's not ready yet, but we're going to have a pretty badass website soon and there will be a little click to nominate and a click to volunteer Okay and then a click to donate. All of those things will be on the new website and we're going to try to make it amazing, so it's going to be super easy to understand what we're doing, show what we've been doing and you know there are also.
Speaker 2:here's another thing we do. Unfortunately there have been a few children who have passed and the family wasn't planning on anything near, you know, losing a child. So they have no funds. So we come in with funeral food and we talk to someone in the family, find out about, I mean this. The recent one was a child who went in thinking he had the flu and you want to stop that.
Speaker 1:I think it's probably not showing up on here, but you hear that We'll start back in here. I think it's far enough away. These mics don't pick that up.
Speaker 2:Is it a phone?
Speaker 1:It's my phone. It was plugged in over there charging.
Speaker 2:And then too, I was like, oh, ice cream truck, which is another thing I did. I brought the ice cream truck to the high school for all the teachers, for teacher appreciation, oh, wow. And you should see adults smile after they hear the ice cream truck and get some. Just like the easiest, like the simplest ice cream. It was so fun to do that. I want to do that again. Actually, such simple things, it's like just simple happiness, things that bring you joy. But so this funeral, this mother took her child in and he had aggressive leukemia. He was gone in two days. Wow, holy cow, and he was, you know, a local, local, sweet little kid, eight years old. And so people will reach out and and and like, and I'm like I can do general food for them. I, I want to know about josiah, I want to know what he loves, and so I found out that he loved dinosaurs.
Speaker 2:And I get to shop at a local non-profit store called the storehouse on plainfield, okay, and they're just like a big warehouse and you just get random things when you go there sure but they're very inexpensive because they're a nonprofit as well and they happen to have dinosaur books that had, like, you press the button and it made the dinosaur noise, yeah, so they donated books for his classroom in his memory. So I brought books for all of the kids so they could. I mean, they were devastated. I mean, how do you explain to an eight year old that you know one of their friends is gone?
Speaker 2:So we do a lot of crazy things, but you know, it's all hopefully to bring compassion and help people who are already struggling. And some people are like how can you do that? That's like because someone has to. People are like how can you do that? That's like because someone has to. Yeah, you know, someone has to step up and the community should be the people, you know, the group that steps up, right, and so that's another thing, that food hugs, food hugs, funerals unfortunately, we've done a few of them.
Speaker 2:Um, one was also a woman who was killed by her ex-husband and her child is disabled and he left this disabled, his daughter, in the car wow and so we did the funeral for that and they hadn't found him yet and the funeral was maybe four or five days later and we're waiting and waiting, because we had the food ready for the funeral and they were still gone and we were like they're probably saying goodbye. What we found out was that the the sergeant called and said we got him in chicago right when she was getting lowered into the ground oh, wow and so they came back. Funnily enough, you know, the mom was like that's a big you you know, but how devastating, right so?
Speaker 2:this grandma, who is a nurse, takes care of this grandchild, who is, you know, needs 24-hour care, and this mom was just a saint right Taking care of this child, put everything she was doing to take care of this baby and then this happened. So there's so many crazy stories, you know, but they're all also part of what we do for food hugs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome. So many things get involved. Yeah, reach out. Yeah.
Speaker 2:So, like I said, um, we're working on big, impactful things to do now that we have a budget and we don't have to beg for money every single, because I would just beg for money once a month probably and I try not to overdo it because I didn't want to seem annoying sure, um, but I haven't had to do that for a while. So we're we're thrilled that we now have a budget so we can continue to do awesome things, and often my next thing is going to be going to a local ice cream shop and paying for everyone's ice cream, for the night.
Speaker 2:We're just going to stand there and let the tab roll.
Speaker 1:Love it, just little things that bring joy, right, those little things, but they just expand Like that butterfly effect. They're so exponential in the people that they reach yeah, because people tell that story to somebody else Of course they do, and last week was it Saturday night.
Speaker 2:No-transcript.
Speaker 1:Just so special. Like you know, you don't see it enough, so I'd love seeing that. So again, like you said, the sharing I'm so glad that you share that stuff. Yeah, Because you forget that that even exists some days.
Speaker 2:You really do, and some days I forget it exists. You know, I try not to. I try to keep it positive, but I have bad days too.
Speaker 1:Really.
Speaker 2:Honestly, I had a really, really rough week last week and I was like oof, oof. I gotta keep it positive because you know I can't let people bring me down that close friends too. It's devastating. But you know what? I talk, it out, I talk. You know. I have an awesome husband who is, you know, always supportive of me and my crazy ways. He's totally opposite of me, by the way you've have you even met him?
Speaker 1:I met him when we picked up jada for the trip, okay, and that was the first time, and and that I could say your complimentary personalities, yeah, like, because it's just, um, yeah, very different we're yeah, we're yang and yang like opposite, which is awesome, but we work. Yeah, we work. We kind of need that sometimes. Keep us out of trouble, keep us at least between the lanes.
Speaker 2:That's exactly what Mauricio is. He tries to keep me out of trouble, but it doesn't work. I think you work pretty hard yeah yeah, but sometimes he'll say things to me like why are you doing that I? But sometimes he'll say things to me like why are you doing that? Like, because it's the right thing to do.
Speaker 1:He's like oh yeah, I can understand.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I don't know. It's awesome to have his support too, and as much as I mean, people don't get that. He is the backbone of the business. Everyone sees me, but he's a huge part of it and I hate it when people don't know that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I didn't. I don't know his story or any of that, it's just sort of the quiet man behind the scenes.
Speaker 2:He is really good at what he does and that's partially why Amore is still around. He does the hiring, firing paperwork, accounting.
Speaker 2:He does all of that. He fixes everything that breaks at the restaurant, which saves us money. Yeah, I mean, you name it, he's doing it. He's doing he's mowing the lawn right now at Amore, like you know what I mean. Yeah, he's doing all the things that you don't see and he deserves to be recognized too. I don't think he gets enough recognition because I'm so wild and out there, but he deserves that yeah, absolutely my kids deserve it for dealing with us too.
Speaker 2:I mean they they didn't get to see much of us for a lot of the time, but we, we were, we, they were always around, yeah, so we did see them, but it was, you know, it was I don't know, I would have to ask my kids, but I think they, they're okay, they turned out okay, yeah, I think so, you know.
Speaker 1:The other thing is like him doing all that you know, keeping you know the things under control, has allowed you to do all the food hug stuff, like if you were yep involved in some of that stuff that he's taken on and food hugs may not ever exist I wouldn't have been able to do it, or not to the extent. No, absolutely. Those unhidden, those hidden people. Yeah, times are just the. You know, the foundation and a lot of things can really it.
Speaker 2:He really is, and you know he, he is there to, like you said, kind of like, keep me tame a little bit, he's the lion tamer sometimes tame and sane yeah, I mean, I think when people it would annoy me you know, it still annoys me because still happens they're like when we go out to dinner and they're like separate checks. I'm like, no, that's my husband of 25 years, what are you talking about? Separate check, oh, we get, we, we used to get that a lot. Yeah, it's funny to me, though it's like yeah, we must really not look like we're together when we're together, right personality's just different.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, but that's fine, it works awesome and I think jada I mean you know jada, I mean thanks for taking her on a trip that was great, loved having her sweet girl and just she's a good kid, but she is so much like her dad, I could tell she's definitely daddy's girl, definitely a daddy's girl.
Speaker 1:She loves me too, don't get me wrong, but she is so daddy's girl.
Speaker 2:She loves me too. Don't get me wrong.
Speaker 1:I like it.
Speaker 2:But she is, it's her daddy's girl she was.
Speaker 1:I don't know if we can always cut this out if we have to, but she was like we. I asked her about boys and she was like I think I'm going to go to Italy, we'll spend split time between here. The Italian boys are nicer, as way she put it, or maybe more looking, maybe, yeah, you know, I'm like, you know, maybe you haven't spent, you know, but, um, I think it was important to her for, um, you know, chivalry type things. It seemed like that's kind of what she picked up, or cultural things treated women nicer. Maybe I think that's at least her impression, whether, whether, that's true.
Speaker 2:That's how her dad is.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't say all of them are. That makes sense.
Speaker 2:But hopefully I mean that's. I'm glad she wants someone like her dad because he's awesome, but I think that's. I think it's true. If you really do like your dad, you marry someone like him. And my dad's awesome, I don't. I think him and Maurizio have quite a few similarities.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:In personality maybe, and it's fun to think about, like how you impact your child and who they choose to partner up with.
Speaker 1:I hope I've inspired a good. You know that.
Speaker 2:I think it could be worse right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh yeah. It could definitely be worse. So you hope, you know, you hope they find somebody. You always want them to be happy.
Speaker 2:I mean, joy has been with her boyfriend for four years, yeah, since high school. She's going to be 21 and they've been together four years. I mean they? I say they're like each other's therapy dogs. They're just always together. Yeah, and they always together, yeah, and they never get sick of each other, which I love to watch, right? Yeah, so you know that's what you want for your kid is someone who cares about them as much as you do so we want for everybody really to have somebody, you know have somebody they could just be a best friend, someone that you can talk to and that understands you and that you can trust.
Speaker 2:I think that's also really important. Yeah, being able to trust people.
Speaker 1:That's what I loved about you know, ash and Chad on vacation. It's nice that they could. They just hung out, yeah.
Speaker 2:Did whatever they wanted. There's a lot of old people here. There's no young people at this place. Right, I was like how is there no kids your age there?
Speaker 1:There wasn't.
Speaker 2:I know, but they had fun anyway.
Speaker 1:Yeah, shoot, I would have. Let's see Anything else. Like you do some other things. You want to talk about any of this other stuff? You know Italy. I know you do some trips there. Do you want to talk about your? Oh?
Speaker 2:yeah, actually, I don't know when this is going to air, but I do two trips a year and hopefully Maritza and I will start doing trips as well. Okay, we can do more than two trips. Nice, because I think that's our end game. We want to have a property in Italy so we can bring people there and show them Italy. Perfect.
Speaker 1:We hope I want to go, yeah, especially with you as the tour guide. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And what's great about these trips is the two that I'm doing now are through onward travel. So if you want to look it up, onward travelco, backslash amore, it's notcom, it'sco it's weird yeah um, and you can look at our trips. I'm actually releasing a trip tomorrow, oh really, for the fall in october. So october and april is when we go, because it's the most beautiful season and not as hot, okay, and that is full right.
Speaker 2:Everything is so packed during the summertime because people are off school so they can go. Yeah, so we go in really off times, which pisses some teachers off because they're like, we really want to go, but you go, and I'm like sometimes we go during spring break, you know, but, um, we really have a beautiful trip. It's very small, it's only 14 people, okay, and um, you just show up, you don't have to think of anything, we do it all wow so we do cooking classes, michelin restaurants, uh, we're going to a parmesan cheese?
Speaker 2:um factory. We're going to a parmesan cheese factory. We're going to a balsamic vinegar factory. We're going to the lakes. I mean, we do such cool like niche things. It's kind of like a once in a lifetime thing and plus, since I speak Italian, I can help you if you need anything. So trans translation or, um, god forbid, you need a pharmacy, like. I can help with all that, which is also helpful when you're far, far away from home.
Speaker 2:But yeah we have the best time. I think the best memory from the last year we were in Sicily I just got back um was we were on a boat around, going around the Island of Sicily, um, and our boat driver had scheduled his friends to put a basket and drop it down into the water from the top of the cliff with wine and snacks. For us, no way. So we drove up with the boat and they like lowered it down and it was full of, like, prosecco and treats, and then they just brought it right back up and we like grabbed it off of there.
Speaker 1:It was so cool. That's awesome. I'd love those kind of stories or those like little unique tips and, um, you know, just in some ways, you know, I think of that. Back in the 80s, I always seemed to have those movies where they did these kinds of cool stuff. I don't feel like we do a lot of that anymore.
Speaker 2:The smallest, like I said, the smallest little touch changed our trip. Right Like we're already having an awesome trip and then that happens. You're like, oh, am I in heaven right now? Like where am I? You're on an island and someone lowers you a basket. That's called crazy. Oh my god, it was so cool. So we do really cool things on this trip.
Speaker 2:And marisa really wants to set up a motorcycle tour because he loves motorcycles. So, yeah, for our anniversary I bought him a moto guzzi, which is an italian motorcycle which he still has and runs great. Um, he would really like to do a motorcycle tour on the back roads of Italy. So that's one of his goals. I'll see. I mean, I think people would love that. I already talked to one of my doctor friends down at the Doug Meyer Innovation Center and he has a Guzzi and I was like you have a Guzzi, what he's like. They're the best motorcycle. I was like, oh my God, marie's gonna love this. So that's another thing we were hoping to do, okay, um, but um, onward travelco backslash amore twice a year. Right now we go, sometimes three times, depending on you know, they're very. They don't just do italy, they do trips all over. Okay, so it's really fun to look at their website, but yeah, I have to check them out.
Speaker 1:I've've never heard of them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and actually she had a food truck in Grand Rapids, Okay, and she got married and moved to her husband's apple orchard and they provide apples for Angry Orchard like their huge orchard. So she and her sister started this travel agency and they both do trips, Is it?
Speaker 1:all food-oriented or they do different varieties of themes, kind of.
Speaker 2:They do all of it, but it's mostly food, I mean. What's better than that Sure?
Speaker 1:I don't know. Everybody likes food.
Speaker 2:Food and wine and drinking and shopping, and we have a lot of, like, free time. So it's not like super Okay, go, go, go, cause we really want people to feel like it's a vacation too. So you get a lot of free time on these trips too, which is awesome. Great, thanks for sharing that. Yeah, it's really, really fun. The trips are great and you know, we would go to Italy twice a year anyway to see Nonna, and now that she's passed, it's weird, because she was a connector for everyone in the family, of course, and we went to see her, not that we don't want to see everyone else Mauricio's brothers and sisters but, um, it's just weird not having her there. Interesting that we can talk about the scholarship that we made in her honor. Okay, let's do it. So she passed in October, the party was in January and I really wanted to honor her, and so we we did a Nonna Victoria scholarship for women who want to be chefs and they wrote. We had people write in and nominate themselves or someone else okay.
Speaker 2:Okay, and so we got to give two scholarships at the party to two girls locally who want to make a difference, and we also asked them what food hug would you do if you would food hug anyone? So that was part of their answer, and so now I get to do those food hugs with them. Oh, that's awesome, so it's going to be really cool. And then next year, because of that and everyone saw that I've already gotten two very big scholarship donations so we can get bigger scholarships next year.
Speaker 1:Man, I love it. Yeah, as a girl, dad Right, it's like I always love hearing stuff. Well, here's the thing.
Speaker 2:I'm one of the only female chefs in this town and I have been all these 14 years. For a small point in time there were two other girls. They're my buddies. They've dropped off. It's really hard. It's not an easy business, and especially when you want to be a mom, yeah, and I need to encourage girls to say you can do it, you can do it, you can do it, and when you think not to sound like an asshole, but every time you think of whoever makes you food it's usually your mom or your grandma.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is a weird dichotomy there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so why aren't more women chefs?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:They're the ones that you know, inspire us. So it's so confusing to me and I hate to think that it's just because we procreate. Yeah, it shouldn't be the answer. You know what I mean. So Right, that's why I really this scholarship is really important. Plus, it's extra special because it's Nana.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean that's the I was on the stage just sobbing and these poor girls were like, oh no, and because they didn't really know. You know the background of the story, but it was. It was so cool. It was so cool and I can't wait to give more. I think we'll probably be able to give either, because we did two this year, so hopefully we can give more. We haven't decided what we're gonna do yet, but we are gonna plan another party and it's just gonna be an annual fundraiser and my birthday party every January, because people need things to do in January, why not? Yeah, it's dark and gloomy and snowy and we just need to pick me up.
Speaker 2:Definitely is here, it's always going to be a pink theme. Okay, so this year was just pink general, but next year it's going to be pink 80s themed.
Speaker 1:Okay, it seems to fit pretty well too.
Speaker 2:Yes, it does. Yes, so we're in our planning stages for it, but I will tell you it's January 11th, so put it on your calendar. January 11th Yep, try to stay away from.
Speaker 1:Florida for that time of year and the sunshine Way better than Florida, at least for the weekend. For the weekend, just fly up, and that should not be a problem. Kids will be back at school already. Yeah, one of them will be at least maybe both. Yeah, just saying okay, january 11th, january 11th, yep, pink party, pink party, party.
Speaker 2:Plan it now 80s yes, and we only have limited seats, that that place only holds 250 people. Okay, and I know a lot of people, so it's hard to narrow it down but you gotta get in on it right away.
Speaker 1:Okay, january 11th, all right. A pink party, yep, ah man, there was something else across my mind. One thing I was going to say is um, stories, you know, like stories are such a big part of business and marketing and sharing, and the unique part of this is, like everything you do is sort of a story. It creates stories, yes, and it's something that naturally is share, shareable well, everyone has a story, right?
Speaker 2:yeah? So every person that walks into the restaurant has a story, and sometimes the stories are crazy. So the craziest one I've had recently was I went up to the table. I always ask them what they're celebrating and they're like are you ready for a story? And I was like, heck, yeah, I love a story.
Speaker 2:So this one lady on this side saw this other lady on the other side of the table on the news and noticed she had a lump when she was talking in her throat. She called the news station and was like I need to talk to the whoever was doing this interview and I need her to go to the doctor. There's something wrong with her. And so the lady she's like it might be thyroid, I don't know what it is, I just need you to get her this information. So the news reporter was like hey, this lady called, I just want you to know. And so this other lady took it to heart. She's like oh, I haven't been to the doctor in like three years. Maybe I should go. So she goes in. She has nothing wrong with her thyroid, but she has breast cancer, oh my.
Speaker 1:So she goes in. She has nothing wrong with her thyroid, but she has breast cancer. Oh my Wow, that's so crazy.
Speaker 2:So this person changed her life, saved her life by just caring about her enough, seeing her on the news to say, hey, you need to go in. And so they were celebrating their friendship and her helping her survive. That's what a cool story, so special, yeah, how cool is that, like you know, it's like All those strangers, yeah, and they're like besties now, just because of someone caring about another person. What a cool story Like. We get cool stories like that all the time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I always post them if they let me.
Speaker 1:Well, that's what's great. I'm going them if they let me. Well, that's what's great. I'm gonna share the story, share the good. That's what I, that's what I do. I try to do. That's part of what I want to do here is like allow people to tell their stories. Yeah, the good stuff and the bad stuff. I want to hear the hard stuff, yeah, as much as the successes let's talk about hard stuff.
Speaker 2:Let's talk about how hard it is to be one of the most um how do I word this nicely? The most reviewed business with the least amount of profit. People are awful to restaurants online and it's got to stop. I always say like, I feel like any of the online review systems should be like Uber, where we can rate the human. Oh sure, like, if you can rate me, I should be able to rate you, because if you were a shitty human when you came to the restaurant, there's a reason that maybe you didn't get what you wanted is because you can't be pleased.
Speaker 2:So, as much as I hate being negative, stop being mean on reviews. Talk to a human. If you have an issue, there's nothing in the world. I want to do more than solve it. While you are here in my restaurant, I can fix it. If you go home and fester and write a really mean review, you're not only not helping the issue or solve the problem, you're making a business that's working really hard look bad when maybe they don't have anything to do with what happened. So, god, I really wish people would think before they go online and like spew meanness, because it's not doing anyone a favor, especially the restaurant. Just talk to someone while you're there.
Speaker 2:You know, and I understand, no one likes confrontation and a lot of people say, well, I didn't want to. Well, you talked about it afterwards, so you didn't seem to have a problem, right, so just let us fix it. We're not in business to displease people. We're in business to try to make your experience amazing. And and I hate to say it, but it's like we get so many good reviews, that one bad review. Why is that the one that sticks in your head? It shouldn't be. Yeah, 0.01 percent of the people. But when you're a people pleaser, like I am, yeah, I think.
Speaker 1:I think that's something I've kind of again. I don't have the same um, I'm not in front as as many people as you are, but learning to let that go and even as every, as somebody that checks out reviews as I go to places, I'm like when there's that many there's, you know, there's always that crazy person and often they make it about themselves.
Speaker 2:It's really it's just so unfortunate it's it's.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it seems like they want attention. Um, oh yeah, for sure, because they kind of blow it up with anything like.
Speaker 2:sometimes you go to their reviews and every single review is like a one star and you're like man. It's really hard to be you, isn't it Like? I'm sorry that you're struggling, but don't take it out on other people, right?
Speaker 1:You know what I mean? Yeah, I feel bad, for I mean I kind of pity those people in a way, and the older I get, the more I can handle it.
Speaker 2:But there's still some that really just yeah, I can see it.
Speaker 1:when you're people, when you want everybody to be happy, it's hard.
Speaker 2:Like I said, we don't open our doors every day to piss someone off, right? Our goal is to make you have an awesome experience.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And of course everyone has bad days, but show grace.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You're not perfect every day of your life. Why do you expect someone else to be? And we can make it right. You know what I mean. We can make it right for you. So you know, just think about it before you spew like awful. One of them recently was so mean and just Maurizio wanted to jump through the phone because they were like because our daughter, joya was the owner's daughter, was a server and she wasn't even that good and Joya is a really good server. So I'm like, why would you be? Why would you stoop so low to talk about the owner's kid? Yeah, like, what kind of human are you? And those I don't even respond to, because if I respond it's not going to be pretty Right.
Speaker 1:It's going to be real ugly.
Speaker 2:When you touch my kids, mama bear comes out, it just doesn't make sense. Well, it's just not nice.
Speaker 1:It becomes personal and not about the business. Correct, but think about it before you write anything mean, because your name is on it and so is your face most of the time you know I will say that when I see those like a lot of people I know judge the reviewer quite harshly when they see those. So it does, um, like they may be making a more of a statement about themselves than the rest. Why I leave it alone, especially when you have 99.99 right but it's, it still bothers you, right?
Speaker 2:yeah?
Speaker 1:oh yeah, it shouldn't bother you. That kind of stuff bothers me in my business. You know you got some little thing that was out of your control. Many times, oh yeah, most of the time it is, you know it just didn't work. It didn't give the full experience that you wanted to share, right, and it just you know kind of bugs you inside still, right, and it just you know kind of bugs you inside still it really does.
Speaker 2:And so like this is just another thing, think about it before you write it. And I tell my kids that too. Like, don't put, your, don't put negative things online, they're there forever.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Forever with your name on it, even if you delete them afterwards. Brainshot chairs, they're out there. Choose wisely, choose what you say in your words wisely, and they're. It's okay to stand up for yourself, don't get me wrong, but there's no reason to be mean yeah yeah, that's what I said and I'm sticking to it. Great advice great advice.
Speaker 1:All right, so we this has been awesome. Do we have anything else we want to talk about?
Speaker 2:Man, we've covered a lot we have. We did almost all of that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, anything else you want to share.
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:Anything else you want to talk about. I think we've covered an amazing amount of stuff. It's been great, and if we think of something else, you know we can always come back. Yeah, absolutely. What might be fun is to revisit, you know, food hugs again. Yeah, absolutely, and all the new changes you got. So much fun, maybe before the party.
Speaker 2:Yes, we can talk about the party. Perfect. Also, I brought you a food hug, I do, we have you and evan can try it. All right, it's called um firecracker. I gave these away at my um party because I had like oprah's favorite things. You know, she has her favorite things. I did jenna's favorite things, so I had this was one of the things in the bag and I hope you like it as much as I do. It is called the firecracker. Okay, chocolate bar. All right, I'm not usually a chocolate fan. It has sea salt, hot pepper and pop rocks in it no way.
Speaker 1:Who in the world?
Speaker 2:thought of that freaking good. So I'm giving you guys that to try. Well, thank you very much. Try it on camera, because it pops in the in the microphone no way try it.
Speaker 1:Open it up you're gonna do it. Evan, you want a bite now, or do you want to wait Okay?
Speaker 2:So it's dark chocolate too, and it's a really quality company.
Speaker 1:I love dark chocolate.
Speaker 2:And there's just something about it that is so unique, and I actually based one of my restaurant week desserts off of this because I loved it so much, so I made chocolate truffles with pop rocks on the outside. Ah crazy. All right, let's give it a shot here. All right, I'm waiting for the sound you hear it's great this is crazy joy yes, and that's like.
Speaker 1:The experience is just like a whole different. It's awesome. It's like I feel like a kid in third grade. I know right isn't it bring you such like happiness awesome, thank you you're welcome I'm definitely gonna buy more of those I know you can get them at um.
Speaker 2:Only in town right now you can get them at the Rockford. Oh gosh, it's called Taste Buds. I think it's right. It's right. You know where Little Sack Liquor Store is, on Algoma. Oh yeah, there's a little candy store back there and she has them.
Speaker 1:I was not aware. Yeah, I'm definitely going to check in. In the jalapeno or whatever, the it's Chipotle.
Speaker 2:Chipotle jalapeno or whatever.
Speaker 1:The chipotle chipotle, I'm sorry um it's just perfect, subtle yeah you can almost not, not even, but it's there, it's funny, it's like, it's like my mouth is exploding super fun.
Speaker 2:That's why I love it awesome.
Speaker 1:Well, I really appreciate it. Yeah, love having me on, got into so much. Yeah, we got a lot done. So you guys guys check out Food Hugs, check out Amore and, you know, check out.
Speaker 2:I can give you all my info, so you can share it.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, how do we find you? I mean, you talked about Amore.
Speaker 2:Yeah, food Hugs a little bit so Amore Trattoria Italiana, which Trattoria is a place that is like a family-owned restaurant. So Trattoria is to treat yourself Okay, but it's not fancy like a restaurant. So family is welcome, everyone's welcome, whereas a restaurant, Ristorante, is more fancy, okay, I did not know that.
Speaker 2:Trattoria means to treat yourself, so treat yourself to Amore at 5080 Alpine Avenue, six mile and Alpine. And I'm on social media, on Instagram and Facebook at Amore Trattoria Italiana. Personal at Jenna Arcidiacono, you can follow me on what I'm getting up to in my wilds. Everything that I do that is crazy that people giggle like I had a piñata costume for Cinco de Mayo and I went out with Piñata costume. Yeah, it's hilarious. I'll show it to you after this.
Speaker 1:I don't think I saw the picture.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I'll show it to you Because I was I joked, because I had such a bad week. I said I felt like a human pinata all week so I might as well dress like one. And because it was Cinco de Mayo more than anything, and so it's the most hilarious outfit. But, um, so you can follow my shenanigans on my Facebook personal Facebook page. Um, I might not be able to friend you because I have over 5,000 friends right now, but you can follow me and see what I'm up to. You can follow food hugs as well on um social media. Food hugsorg is our website. We're going to amp it up. It's going to be awesome.
Speaker 1:And then Instagram as well. Food hugs by Jenna. Please like, share and subscribe If you've enjoyed this podcast.