In closing we reach out to all of you, that we are so grateful for...
Oh the thrills of a roller coaster! For so many, those rapidly exchanged extremes are a favorite experience. And the restaurant industry is certainly a roller coaster! The thrills of Gracie’s Kitchen include the opportunity to steward a number of Voorheesville’s young and rising stars through their first jobs. Among others who have had shorter stints, long-timers Frank Tunney, Hannah Lewis, Maeve Owens, Lily Zanello, David Fesmire, Fiona Wikstrom, Grace Reeve, and Isabella Longale have been a privilege to know and witness their evolution.
Recently, as Grace Reeve was leaving for her first semester at college, she expressed her gratitude, saying this was “the best first job I could possibly have had. I learned so much, not just about waitressing but about people and how to best handle all kinds of personalities and situations; and how just when you think you’ve seen it all, something stranger happens; and how hard it is to run a small business; and how little people know about what you really do. And that I don’t know anyone who works so hard or so much. I’m so grateful and I’ve learned so much that I really think will help me in so many ways.”
A genuine thrill has been our guests: so many wonderful, funny, caring, and unique characters. Among the very frequent visitors is our “Princess” Dorothy Kohler. At 93, Dorothy regales us with stories of her youth, her nursing education (restricted in a dorm) and career, as well as her joys and challenges of raising four children in Voorheesville before Salem Hills even existed. Dorothy often entertains friends and acquaintances with her quick wit and smile. She does not hesitate to have those “forbidden” but engrossing conversations about politics, sex, and religion. I keep asking her to write her second book!
The great assortment of frequent breakfast guys include those who have taught me that a slice of pie is a perfectly healthy breakfast! Or those who pick up dinner for the family a few nights each week, and never leave without selections from the bakery case. And the bakery case, well, the almost- 500 pies I have baked for each of the past several Thanksgivings have been both challenging and gratifying. Humbled beholding the devotion of a man losing his beloved wife to early onset Alzheimer's, I witnessed the essence of love and selflessness that our world needs so desperately. Whether sharing a meal or inside joke or dancing in our little restaurant, this couple will forever be, for me, a model of creating joy and possibilities, through laughter and tears and dedication.
There are deep friendships that have formed and will be cherished. You know who you are. And the drastic dips on this roller coaster: Mistakes were made, among the most challenging, hiring a “chef” with multiple identities who stole, sabotaged kitchen functions, and ended up arrested running a well-reputed kitchen in Saratoga on a Travers night. Gracie’s Kitchen would recover and hit our stride once I took over the cooking. With the help of an amazingly creative and multi-talented marketing expert, Craig Shufelt, we were filled with happy customers just a little over a year into the business.
And crash. COVID. Many businesses did not survive, but with guidance to adapt, improvise, and improve, we did. We sold toilet paper, pasta, yeast, paper towels, masks, sanitizer, and more that people were struggling to find. We opened an ice cream station that was often referred to as “a great community service.” We expanded to include dinner service, to a demand we had not anticipated.
Among the most popular, our BBQ and German nights brought special challenges for one person working all four kitchen stations, creating close to 200 meals in 2.5 hours. Without Mae and Shelby sharing peaches at the end of a crazy German night, I don’t think I could have managed to get through them. Their popularity has been an enormous compliment to my cooking and my gang.
As part of the development of “Our New Scotland,” this amazing and rapidly growing group of business owners in and around New Scotland, I have been honored to share successes, challenges, and solutions to support and promote each other. We are exceptionally proud of the success of our first Community Day, which saw constant streams of visitors exploring the many businesses of your friends and neighbors, working to serve you. Your support is vital!
Since the pandemic, the restaurant industry has tackled historic inflation, a virtually empty labor pool, a volatile supply chain, and incredible disruption that has made it impossible for many restaurants to continue. Those roller coaster moments! Those who know me well know I’m not a thrill ride kind of girl. Few are aware of the severe personal toll this has taken, yet it is time to say farewell.
Our last day of operations will be October 8. Dear friends of Gracie’s Gang, I wish the very best for each of you, and am grateful for your support. And please, shop local!
Your hometown cook,
Grace Thompson — Proud Proprietor of Gracie’s Kitchen
