A few days ago I cooked my first meal at my new house. Nothing fancy - but it was delicious and (clearly 😆) brought me joy.

Early last year, I was looking at commercial spaces feeling like I “needed” to move out of the Mickle Center kitchen. People kept asking when I was opening a restaurant, and saying I was so busy that I must really be ready to expand. Totally reasonable things to say, but it’s also like we’re trained to feel what we’re doing is never enough - that there always needs to be a next, bigger step. And at what cost?

It’s scary how easy it can be to start up a food business. But sustainability is necessary - and learning what that looks like takes time & mistakes along the way.

Last year, I jumped into signing a letter of intent for a restaurant space - before backing out of it, because I went back inside and knew it was NOT the place for me. Holding off on the brick & mortar has now allowed me to buy my first home, and to spend the whole last year focusing on myself.

I noticed my instinct to give everything I made right back into my business and give so little to myself. Through the consistent growth of this business as is, I learned that this shared kitchen, pre-order/pick up model doesn’t make it any less “real.” And that my worth doesn’t come from running a business, or how visible its growth is. AND if you concern yourself with what others are saying, & feel pressure to keep expanding, you can lose sight of what you even wanted in the first place. I’ve had the time to fully feel gratitude for what the shared space has given me - and missing the beauty available now would be a huge miss.

I dream of the future for NWK, and feel a huge sense of direction in knowing that when I’m able to, I’ll have a space of my own that’s unlike anywhere else. In the meantime, I’m asking hard questions to learn how to continue showing up for myself, so I can better show up for my staff and for all of you, too.

So if you want some good vegan food made by good people - we’re here and will continue to be. But it’s not just about food for me. This has been a journey, and it’s never been just about food. ❤️