Margot McCormack Remastered audio

00:00Welcome to Nashville Restaurant Radio, a podcast for and about the people of the Nashville Restaurant scene. Now here's your host, the CEO of New Light Hospitality Solutions, Brandon Styll. Hey guys, welcome back to Nashville Restaurant Radio. Happy St. Patrick's Day. Today I'm speaking with Margot McCormick, five times James Beard nominated chef and owner of Margot and Marche in East Nashville. So this is an unedited raw version of this interview and I just wanted to go straight through. I apologize about the background noise. I'm getting better at doing recordings, but recordings in a restaurant where people are moving around make it a little more challenging. But I also want to apologize for me even being on this because she's just amazing. So without further ado, please enjoy. So we are here with Margot McCormick. Margot, thank you so much for having us here today. When you first contacted me you said you'd be happy to talk on Nashville Restaurant Radio. I was excited because the East Nashville perspective as to what's going on and even bigger than that that you might have. What's happening with the COVID-19 virus and just what's happening was such a, just dying to come here talk to you.

01:28But driving here to meet with you at a socially, social distance I would have to say was sobering. It is. It's pretty sad out there. It's pretty depressing. So yeah, Marche was to start the month off with a tornado is not how you want to kick off a month or start a year really. And I'm lucky that both of my businesses are pretty minorly damaged compared to the rest of the neighborhood and certainly some of the residential neighborhood. So I don't have a lot to be upset by necessarily. Although we had to pretty much stop and start our business for the two weeks in the meantime trying to get power to the neighborhood. We still do not have a phone. We still do not have our internet system that has affected our ability to run credit cards and to actually put money back in our pockets. It has interrupted our supply chain with purveyors not being able to get to us. Some of our purveyors were actually infected. Cisco and Best Brands and a couple other liquor companies warehouses were pretty destroyed. So it's been a real hurdle to get the basic daily needs back where they're supposed to be. And now we've got the coronavirus to deal with. And so that's throwing us for a tailspin. We were just getting back on our feet this past weekend after the tornado and there's been stuff coming down left and right. Health Department, World Health Organization, CDC, the White House, the mayor's office, council people.

03:20And you just kind of you have to have somebody just to pay attention to all that to make sense of everything. That's kind of essentially I think everybody's doing that. And let's let all the listeners know when you say your restaurants, you have two restaurants here in East Nashville. Yes. You have Margot Cafe and Bar and Marché Arts and Foods. And you've been the owner of Margot Cafe and Bar since 2001. Right. And a little bit of backstory on you. Just to go back, you started cooking at a very young age with your mother. Right. And you guys would make food in the house and that progressed. You initially found the love of that. Then you went to University of Tennessee at Knoxville. You're a native. Right. You've lived in Nashville your whole life. Pretty much. What part of town are you from? I grew up in Westmead. I went to Hillwood High School. And yeah, beautiful neighborhood and had a great childhood. It was almost idyllic really. And then I went to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and studied English.

04:23And that's where I got my first restaurant job at Bennigan's. And it was just to make money. But I kind of got the bug. And I got back to Nashville to use my English degree. And I wound up in another restaurant. Jody Faison's place called Faison's. And he, contrary to the whole Bennigan's thing, had an independent restaurant. And I thought, this is the kind of restaurant that I like. And it had much more to do with, you know, aligned up with stuff that I would do with my mom. You know, it was very nurturing and very, you know, people-oriented and not that whole corporate dining experience. So I got hooked. And I wanted to go to culinary school. And I did. I went to the Culinary Institute of America and then moved into York City and cooked up there for quite a while. Also worked for another great guy who was much more into the hospitality line of things than the numbers and the bottom line and the people. So I came back to Nashville in 1995 and started working executive chef with F. Scott's in Green Hills. But when it came time to have my own place, I wanted it to be more like Faison's. And he used to be on Belcourt.

05:42And that neighborhood was just cost prohibitive for me at that point. He bought his restaurant there for $10,000 in I think 1982. So at the time it had come and gone, obviously. So I had to forge new ground. And I had a lot of friends over in East Nashville. And we found this spot. And we worked with our landlord, March Edgerton, to, you know, rehab the building that literally looked like a bomb had gone off in it previous. It's gorgeous. Thank you. Yeah, we did some great work in here. And so we've been kind of going along, you know, ever since. It's been, it'll be 20 years, 19 years, 19 years this summer. So it's your East Nashville, way before East Nashville was cool. Well, you know, coming off another tornado, really, the 98 tornado, the neighborhood got a, you know, a cash injection and a lot of people able to rehab their homes and kind of open the neighborhood up a little bit. I fear that this time around the developers are going to cash in way more than the actual residents or business owners. I think that's going to happen in Germantown as well. But that's a whole other conversation. Well, I mean, I think that's part of what's going on right here. And it is still absolutely evident pulling in here that this neighborhood, this community is not better. I mean, you look at everything in Nashville was Nashville strong two weeks ago and everything in this city was based around this tornado, 30,000 people coming out the next day to help. And now here we are two weeks later and nobody's talking about the tornado. Everybody's talking about the coronavirus and coming into this community. There's still a lot of hurt. There's still a lot of help that needs to be done.

07:41What can people, if there's people out there listening right now, what can people do right now? I think the biggest thing, there are a bunch of chefs who are trying to organize a coalition and we came up with a name and of course now I can't remember it, but it's Tennessee hospitality or Tennessee Action, Tennessee Hospitality for Action. I don't remember. I'm going to find the answer to what that is and I'm going to put it in the comment section so you can all know what this podcast, what that is. I've been on the phone since 8 30 this morning, so I'm a little weary, so forgive me for not remembering something. You are fine. Anyway, we were on a conference call. There were 36 of us and with Congressman Jim Cooper and his chief of staff, Lisa Quigley, and there were some other very influential people in the room or on the call rather, lawyers, media people, public relations people trying to steer us in a direction where we could actually help our community and help the segment of the community that we represent. The restaurant industry and hospitality industry in the United States is a three or a trillion dollar business and we employ 15 to 16 percent of the entire U.S. labor force, so that's a lot of labor to suddenly not have a job and I know that we in particular feel sort of singled out as in don't go to restaurants. No one's saying don't go to your flower shop or don't go to your laundromat. Don't go to your dry cleaner, so when you single a group out like that it kind of hurts, especially for us here in the East Nashville or anywhere really that has already been struggling and suffering through something else we don't have any control over. Who is a locally owned and operated restaurant? I think a lot of people don't recognize that you are a

09:44locally owned and operated restaurant and a lot of these people out here that may claim that they're locally owned have these gigantic corporate backers that are going to be okay, but more specifically people that are genuinely locally owned and operated that source their products locally, this hits you a little harder. It does and remember or know this that the restaurant business has a three percent profit margin, so very slim, so being out of business for two weeks already is putting us at a disadvantage and then to have this come on top of that is even more worrisome and what are the long term and no one I think there's also the problem that no one really knows the answers to the questions of how long is it going to last and what do we do in the meantime and what are the best practices? I feel like there's just a lot of guessing going around. There's a lot of guessing going around. I don't think that this has ever happened. This has never happened in the history of my history. I've been in the Nashville restaurant business for 25 years and I've never seen anything like this, but I have seen Nashville being resilient. I have seen the community come together very strong in a hypothesis moment.

11:10We're trying to figure out what we're going to do. What have you been doing and what do you plan on doing right now? It changes. You said earlier it changes every single minute, but what are you what are you going to do? Unfortunately in the moment you know if people want to get paid they have to claim unemployment. I don't have a pot of money that I can just hand out to my employees unfortunately and it makes me so sad because I really pride myself on being able to take care of my employees and so to not be able to do that all of a sudden is a gut punch and it's a little bit depressing for me. A restaurant is supposed to be full of people. That's the nature of the beast and that's what we all love and so for the restaurant to be empty it's just also very sad to see that your livelihood is just like drying up just like stopping it's like wow through no fault of anything that we've done we are a much loved you know restaurant so it's not that anything that we've done and it's just being kind of pulled out from under us. So my employees have to face some tough decisions it's like flying on a plane and you know you've got to put your oxygen mask on before you help anyone else. So I have to get myself right and that's the coalition of chefs is reaching out to government. I'm not sure exactly at this point what can be done the state budget is in the works it's going to be finalized probably by June 3rd. A lot of the things that we're talking about sales tax you know abatement, payroll tax, things like that are so woven into like the Department of Labor and the federal government and so it's um it's a lot to unravel or to figure out where to turn so we're trying to get advice on all of those levels about all of those things. So calling state government to make sure that we're not

13:10left out of the picture because you know those airlines are getting bailed out just like the banks got bailed out just like the auto industry got bailed out but it's like who's going to bail out the little guy you know who's going to bail me out so that I can bail someone else out. I can look in your eyes and I can tell that the people that work for you the people that come in here on databases that create this community which is the reason why I wanted to do the podcast was because this community we need to find a way to connect everybody and gain perspective and you can look in your eyes this is not something that you're just like oh well I'm going to be okay tough everybody else I mean the pain here is what's what's going to happen to our community of people and it kind of doesn't matter if I'm going to be okay if other people aren't going to be okay exactly and that that's my concern too is that okay we're taking all these precautions and certainly absolutely I don't want anyone to die but if we're all put out of work and we can't feed our families or put a roof over our heads we might as well be dead so it's kind of like what's the difference yeah it's pretty harsh it's an interesting take well I'm not the only one that shares that opinion that's how tenuous our situation is right now you know we don't have a lot of the things at corporate America we can't work from home you know I'm kind of getting tired of the posts on Facebook of like oh look what we're doing I'm like oh how nice of you that you're working from home and you're having a big time but we're not we're struggling we're struggling being at home and because we're supposed to be here the interaction of people in community is what you said you got the bug you said I got the bug working with Jodie Faison and it is a bug it is I've worked I can't do anything different I'm trying my hand at podcasting but I I'm not getting out of the restaurant business I'm still

15:13talking to people in the restaurant business it's a community of people and I think the whole idea of social distancing is really also very scary I mean I'm not usually a conspiracy theorist or someone who has cynicism but I'm like it would seem at this time that you want to come together and not grow apart and I do feel a little weird about this whole thing this social distancing and it's the time when we need each other the most and we have to stay away from each other you know I think it was Sartre who said hell is other people well I would counter with hell is nobody you know hell is not having anyone else around it's kind of a it's kind of a six of one half dozen of another well I don't even I it's tough to even think about that I mean because I've you're presenting things to me that since I'm not actively in a restaurant and I'm kind of you said everything changes as the minute and you're making me think like wow that's there's a lot of people out there who need that interaction forget money but like it's part of life blood you know it's what gives me energy is to feed people and nourish people and nurture people every night and when you have a full dining room of people the energy gets back to me I'm giving all this love and this creativity and this food but it's coming back to me and so when we don't have that that synchronicity you know it's it's a void the restaurant is supposed to be alive it's supposed to and not you know it's creepy it is creepy so what's next what are you going to do during if they if they say because I anticipate the next couple days right what are they going to say no more they're going to say you can't even you have to do to go and delivery only I imagine we're doing that now this is our last night of seated reservations moving forward it will all be to go carry out whatever and then we've got a friend in in Seattle who thinks that by the weekend the restaurant business will just be shut down all

17:17together that you won't be able to do anything so I don't know if that's true or not that's her thought there are a couple weeks you know ahead of us I know that you know restaurants in New York are closed restaurants in San Francisco I think are closed so it's probably only a matter of time that we're buying ourselves and just kind of serving what we have and then we'll probably have to close our doors and that'll be a very scary moment a very sad moment and then you know there will be a lot of restaurants here that will not open back up it would be so damaging to them that they will not be able to rally and we could be we could be one of them I don't know the uncertainty of it all is what's most difficult to do anything with it is I think that's the that's the overlying fear with everybody we don't know but we don't know I mean I like to think it's going to be over in two weeks and we'll all be back to toasting at the bar and hanging out and yeah so your neighbors people that are around here that are not open I mean are you have you talked to any of the people that are not open around here and how are they how are they fairing I mean I don't want to say that this is at all advantageous for anybody you know there are there are Bill from Three Crow, Tyler and Company from the Pizza Place, Matt Charette from Boston Common and the Treehouse folks they all well Treehouse didn't get damaged by the tornado but they are taking the time to essentially rebrand redo Bill lost his whole roof he's redoing the whole bar they clearly have more money than I do and maybe they're getting insurance money which is great to help them out and do that and that's like I mean how opportune you know and and I definitely if we have to close there'll be some like deep cleaning there'll be

19:19some things that we do just to keep ourselves busy and to keep ourselves here and if we make it out of this storm we're definitely going to be redoing that patio to be enclosed into the rest of the restaurant so sure I don't think that puts them in any better light though if this goes on for months at a time I think again it just adds insult to injury for other people like High Garden I think they've moved locations and are doing something out of their home it's the last I heard burger up you know they're focusing on their other locations I'm sure the soda parlor I'm not I don't know Moonboss you know is really a chain they're probably just focusing on their Bellevue and Murfreesboro location I mean everybody's rallying everybody's doing what they can do which is all you can do making the bad I mean I think all of those guys that are doing stuff to their buildings are making them you know making the most out of what they have and I think that's pretty smart and you know good so let's say let's fast forward to this weekend and let's say that they say you have to close you can't even do to go you can't do delivery anything you want to accomplish you are a restaurateur who owns a restaurant and you're probably working way more hours than anybody recognizes you're working if you had a mandatory two weeks three weeks or a month I said earlier I was talking to a chef and I said you know what I'm gonna do I went to Sherwin Williams down the street and we bought some paint and I let my boys I have two boys that are four and six years old and I said I'm gonna try and do everything I can with them during this time and just play and do silly things and we went to Percy Warner the day went for a walk and I was like this place is amazing I live like a minute from here and I don't come here like oh my gosh I'm trying to find cool things that I can do I said to

21:19I just met with Kerry Bringle and he said if you don't have work like go maybe go outside by yourself and get one of those things that's like the claw in the end and pick up trash on the side of the road like let's make the city beautiful go out and help people that have tornado issues what do you think you might be able to do what would you if you were to say I know that what this is the worst case scenario but if you were making lemonade what are you gonna do you know if I were making lemonade I have a nine-year-old boy and he's about to lose his mind because he can't play yugioh with his friends and mom and I don't know how to play yugioh and not only do we not know we don't want to know we might be driven batty from yugioh but if the weather would be better we would be outside a lot more I find a lot of personal solace in taking the dog for a walk through the park I like to exercise I like to make myself tired because then I can sleep then I don't have to think about all the terrible things that are happening you know I would say that I would watch a bunch of movies but again the nine-year-old sort of dominates the television set when you only have one child you're kind of obligated to be the entertainment source for that child so yeah a lot of focus I wish you know things are also closed for kids the science center is closed I'm not sure about the zoo but we were definitely we will definitely be looking into a lot of things like that we actually happen to own a house in Cape Cod and so we've talked about just packing everybody up and going Cape Cod although it'll be a very similar situation there it'll be a change of scenery and but I feel weird being away from here for a period of time people have been also wanting me to write a book forever today so that might be a great time to

23:20do that I know I'm going to rewrite my cookbooks downstairs but I've been working on updating my new employee manual so there are positive things coming out of it I cleaned our basement I'm going to plant some seeds for a garden for sure I mean we have a garden that we work on every year we weren't going to plant vegetables and stuff this year because we were supposed to be in Japan right now but I think we're going to rethink that and we're going to get some seeds started so that we've got you know just something to do and also something to look forward to you know supporting summer so that's a good message and positive things for you to be doing it's funny because throughout this entire conversation just you guys can't see her but there's almost like a somber look because you're feeling this thing wholeheartedly but when I talked about spending a little time with your family you started smiling you started smiling and you started I could see your brain working like all of the things you want to do and that was really special well I feel I'm not I am sad but I'm also very zen about it right now which is very unusual for me I don't know why I'm this way because normally last week I was you know really in a tailspin and angry and anxious and I think I've realized that okay we understand and know what to expect what to do after tornado okay this is what you do and the roads will get open and the power will get on and all these things will happen but this is a mystery and so I don't feel like I have almost like the boxing gloves to fight it I'm like I don't have the tools I don't know how to help or what to do so I am making my plan just like and it's weird because you forget what day it is without some routine like oh yeah oh

25:22it felt like it's Saturday for me driving around town had left the house to come meet you and it's like I it felt like a Saturday if I went is it is it Tuesday what day what day is today I don't even know and that's weird you know the only time that there's usually no traffic is Christmas and uh but I mean I think there's still quite a lot of traffic over here anyway so it'll be weird if there's no what would you say so if I was to ask you not that you have the words of wisdom but if you have people in all over the city of Nashville right now they're listening to you any kind of words of encouragement anything that you would say what do you do to relax do you um meditate I listen to music listen to music yeah I'll dance listen music and sing but I enjoyed a lot and I played with my dog and I played with my kid and you know I think gratitude is a huge thing right now I think to look around and see what you have rather than what you don't have is a very positive way to be I think to to reach out to friends to base for support and be honest tell them how you're feeling let people you know hold you up in this in this time a lot of us try to be real self-sufficient and try to be real strong I mean I say this for myself as much as anyone else sometimes you just gotta like wow I can't deal or I need help and it's for this I feel like it and especially the chef community that I was talking about earlier today it feels like we're all in this together there's something to that that you're not alone that you're in it with other people and that you I don't know if we're just kidding ourselves about what kind of change we can affect but the fact that you're trying that you haven't given up and I would say you know be kind to yourself that it's amazing in the last couple weeks for the tornado how nice people have been and the outpouring of love and the outpouring of

27:28support and if we I was like it's too bad we're going to act like this all the time you know and why don't we but I think we all need that right now this could be a time where we can change that I'm I'm a member of the recovery community and it's an interesting community because I've never been part of something where people are so you said be honest raise your hand if you're not doing well and that's one of the things that the people in the recovery community do so well and I was in the meeting of the day and the topic was gratefulness it was we've had this tornado this thing is coming let's not turn our minds to what this is the what worry and the serenity prayer is a weird thing I'm not going to go preachy on you but God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change things I can wisdom the difference right but there's some things that we can't change and sitting at home worrying being afraid isn't healthy and it's not going to get you to the next day understanding the things that you can change and actively focusing on those things and I think living this thing one day at a time not worrying about what's going to happen but what can I do today for my own mental health for my own whatever it might be I think is something that you know as you were talking kind of made me think like wow it's something I do on a pretty regular basis because it's just it's just part of my life but it's definitely something I think that translates into our time right now thank you so much for spending time with me today and the rest of the hopefully the rest of the Nashville restaurant community get to hear your voice who five time James Beard nominee yeah I have no idea honestly I lost track I don't mean to sound whatever but I don't know honestly sounds good though I like it very very impressive

29:33and it's a pleasure to talk to you today thank you for taking the time and I hope everything works out for our better and for everybody for sure it's not just the restaurant business but all people well thank you so much so there it is the second interview I ever did on Saint Patrick's Day 2020 little did we know I think I mentioned in there that what's going to happen are we going to close the doors little do we know all of this was going to go down the way that it did and it's just crazy I think that when she talks about how creating food is her expression of love and she puts it out there and when people in the dining room it gives it back to her was such a special moment to really put things in perspective as to what it does to hospitality workers that this is really an expression of love and how we communicate and there's going to be a void there is a void so thanks for listening today go hug somebody you love and thank you Marco for taking the time to do that with me love you guys bye