He racked up two James Beard nominations, scored a “Best Farm-to-Table Restaurant” nod from Travel & Leisure and even “Beat Bobby Flay” on the eponymous Food Network TV show. Now, Stephen Jones is joining Another Round Another Rally for another edition of “Pre-Shift Lessons.”
In this series, we chat with hospitality standouts about what they’ve learned about life in food and restaurants, and this time around, it was the larder + the delta managing partner and executive chef who was kind enough to share some industry insight. Jones’ Downtown Phoenix eatery dishes out delectable Southern-inspired fare Wednesday through Sunday and has earned national and international acclaim since opening its doors (first in a public market, then in its own brick-and-mortar space) back in 2015. Read on for some tasty tidbits from Stephen about what it takes to grow, lead and find happiness, both in the kitchen and beyond.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Learn more about the business side of operating a restaurant.
What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?
Continue to learn, never stop challenging yourself.
Who’s one of your hospitality heroes, and why?
Donny Medina – his approach to the industry from an internal space first is wonderful and I’ve learned to do the same myself.
What’s your guilty pleasure food or drink?
Cheesecake!
What’s a lesson you had to learn the hard way?
So many…managing the team first, before friendships.
What’s your favorite hospitality life-hack?
Find a hobby outside of the business that doesn’t involve the restaurant business.