Paper Trails

Paper Trails Season 3 Ep.3: Darius and Cameron Amidi

In the third episode of Season 3 of the Paper Trails podcast, Nick sits down with Darius Amidi, Director of Operations/Co-owner of Improper Pig, and his son Cameron Amidi. Listen as Darius and Cameron take us through their journey and what led them into the restaurant industry, as well as the characteristics of running a successful restaurant. 

Paper Trails Season 3 Ep.2: Que Hospitality Owner Manny Flores

In the second episode of Season 3 of the Paper Trails podcast, Nick sits down with owner of Que Hospitality Manny Flores. Listen as Manny takes takes us through his journey to U.S. and what inspired him to get into the restaurant industry, the passion and inspiration for his two restaurants Que Onda and Que Fresa, and what the future holds for Que Hospitality.

Paper Trails Season 3 Ep.1: Chef Mike Bobb

In the first episode of Season 3 of the Paper Trails podcast, Nick sits down with the executive chef, Mike Bobb, of the Ballantyne Hotel. Listen as Mike takes us through how his passion for cooking developed, his journey through culinary school at Johnson and Wales, to becoming the executive chef at the Ballantyne Hotel.

Paper Trails Season 2 Ep. 18: Magnolia Coffee Co’s Ben Alleman

"I realized that I could change somebody's day because I'm the first person they're speaking to, most likely." Magnolia Coffee Co's Production Manager, Ben Alleman, got into the coffee scene because he wanted a change from the restaurant industry. He quickly fell in love with what he calls the 'counter-culture.'

Magnolia's goal is to make the top 3-5% of coffee accessible to the everyday coffee drinker. While Alleman himself hasn't gone to the origin spots of the coffee, Magnolia's owner has traveled extensively to the different growing regions.

But even with the best beans, it always comes back to that counter culture and the barista behind the bar. Alleman says the best response to a first sip is when someone says, 'Wow, I don't need to put anything in this!'

Says Alleman, "You can really change somebody with a really good cup of coffee."

 

Follow Magnolia Coffee: https://www.facebook.com/MagnoliaCoffeeCo https://magnoliacoffeeco.com/ https://www.instagram.com/magnoliacoffeeco/ Follow Albemarle Paper Supply: www.albemarlepaper.com facebook.com/albemarlepapersupply instagram.com/albemarlepapersupply

Paper Trails Season 2 Ep. 15: Stomp, Chomp & Roll Restaurant Group

Stomp, Chomp & Roll Restaurant Group owner, Will Bigham, grew up in the restaurant industry.  He describes himself as 'always learning,' which is probably why he's seen success operating a wide variety of restaurants ranging from a dessert business to fast-casual Asian cuisine, and now the popular Charlotte, NC brands Improper Pig, Flying Biscuit, and Pizza Peel. 

Follow Stomp, Chomp & Roll:

Facebook

LinkedIn

 

Follow Albemarle Paper Supply:

albemarlepapersupply.com

Facebook

Instagram

Paper Trails Season 2 Ep. 17: Lindsay Anvik of Babe & Butcher

Paper Trails Season 2: Manolo Betancur of Manolo‘s Latin Bakery

Manolo Betancur has a plan -- to bring his Latin bakery concept to the poorest towns of NC in hopes to create jobs, growth, and spark life on desolate Main Streets that can use some love.

 

It's this attitude that has helped his Charlotte, NC bakery, Manolo's Latin Bakery, find success. "Business is not about money, business is about people," says the former Colombian Navy vet.  A Colombian native, Betancur grew up 'under the influence of the U.S.'  He came to America and studied at King University in TN before making his way to Charlotte.

 

After taking over his ex-in-laws bakery, there were a few things he knew would be imperative to success.  He did not want to create a niche Colombian bakery, instead offering a broad selection of Latin cultures from Cuban pastelitos, to Mexican bread, and Argentinean empanadas.  And he believes businesses have a social responsibility to give back to the community and pay employees what they need to live in a metropolitan city.  He strives to create a culture of respect and harmony, knowing the importance of hiring people smarter than him. "I'm a very bad baker," laughs Betancur.

 

Through the ebbs and flows of financial crises, pandemics, and life's hardships, Betancur has continued to persist.  Failure is not an option for him.  "The American dream is still alive. What you need to do is just stand up and work hard, invest in yourself and invest in knowledge. Challenge and difficult times, they're always going to be there."

Paper Trails Season 2 Ep. 14: Vaulted Oak Brewery

Head Brewer, Kiel Arrington, takes Nick on a mini-tour of the brewery and what goes into making your favorite beers.

Owning a business was always in the back of Arrington’s mind and Vaulted Oak wasn’t his first attempt at starting a brewery business.  In 2015, he pitched a brewery to investors and they didn’t bite.  But Arrington wasn’t deterred and counts it as a good learning experience.

“It took years, up to a decade, in the food and bev industry to grow into where I am today,” says Arrington.

Years passed and Arrington started a family but didn’t give up on the brewery idea.  He started looking at the possibility of opening a bottle shop near Lake Lure when his realtor turned him onto a former BB&T bank location that was just bought.  

Arrington brought on business partner, Johnie Jones, and signed the lease in September 2019.  Next step – he had to bring on investors.  In the 11th hour, Arrington got it done.  (the space almost became a Pop-eye’s!)  

After breaking ground in July 2020 amidst a pandemic and dealing with delays and supply shortages, Vaulted Oak Brewing finally opened its doors on June 8, 2021.

And the brewery was immediately embraced.

“Overwhelming and humbling were phrases I used a lot of times.  We didn’t expect that level of support, especially in a pandemic,” reflects Arrington on the community support.

“Community was always a pillar of our business model. we wanted to be more than just a place to get a beer.”

Arrington’s advice for business owners:

• Never burn bridges because never know when you’re going to need someone’s relationship.
• Fail and fail often.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. 

Follow Vaulted Oak Brewing:

https://www.instagram.com/vaultedoakbrewing

http://vaultedoakbrewing.com/

https://www.facebook.com/VaultedOakBrewing/

 

Follow APS:

www.albemarlepaper.com

https://www.instagram.com/albemarlepapersupply

https://www.facebook.com/albemarlepapersupply

 

 

 

 

Paper Trails Season 2: The Crunkleton & Cheats Cheesesteaks - Part 2

Paper Trails Season 2 Episode 13 Pt. 1: The Crunkleton