Meet Jesikah Stolaroff | Chef and Restaurant owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jesikah Stolaroff and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jesikah, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I never considered much about the business aspect, but I knew from a young age I wanted to have a place where I could feed people. I started playing “restaurant” with my sister when I was about 7 years old, and we would write up a menu, sit by the window table in the living room, and serve very basic things we knew how to cook, like top ramen. This was my favorite game. As I got older I leaned more into this feeling of bringing people together over a dessert or a meal. Having friends for a dinner party, or a cake for a birthday. The feeling of giving people something so good it becomes a celebration, bringing them together over a shared experience. I knew I wanted to do this forever, revel in moments of indulging people with food. Having a restaurant was the ideal way to capture that and provide a space people could come to celebrate.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Being a chef and owning a restaurant is not an easy or profitable career, i just did it because I had to. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else, and I’d dreamed my whole life about having my own space to share delicious food and experiences with my community. Vim opened it’s doors in May of 2019, so we were only just getting our footing when the pandemic hit and we were forced to re-think everything. If it weren’t for the unwavering support of my immediate family, husband, and in-laws working tirelessly to help me keep our doors open, I don’t think we would have survived. My mother is our amazing accountant who put many hours into applying for government grants that helped us scrape by financially until things picked up again. A big challenge for us was adapting our upscale cuisine into dishes that could hold up to our standards as take-out meals. Working with my sister in the kitchen, we came up with new menu items and cocktails that could hold up sitting in a take out box for 20 minutes. Most important to me as a Chef and Restaurant owner, is creating a space where people can come celebrate special moments, and feel the love that we put into our food. Because of this, during the Pandemic it was really crucial to me that I provided creative take-away coursed out meals for many of the holidays, in hopes that customers could still create memorable and special moments at home with our food.

My cooking style has definitely evolved over the years, I’m always pushing to find new and unexpected flavor combinations, but the core is always the same: create food that makes people happy. Amazing seasonal California produce is the perfect base for that, but it also needs that extra something: a nostalgic ingredient that comforts you, an extra touch of love that makes you feel taken care of, and a bit of magic. Of course I strive to make everything delicious, but even more important is sharing a memorale moment in someone’s life. This happens when they make a wish on a birthday candle before biting into the cupcake, or share a pasta on their first date, I feel so honored to be part of peoples celebratory moments.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Santa Cruz is very beautiful and has many gorgeous places to walk along side the ocean like West Cliff, and then the next day you can be hiking in the mountains in Nisene Marks. During the summer, outdoor movie nights and rides at The Beach Boardwalk are great nostalgic fun. It’s a treat to take a drive up the coast on Highway 1 and stop by Swanton Berry Farms for jam tasting and desserts. I love having breakfast at Busy Bee’s in Capitola then walking down for a coffee at Verve and taking it to the beach a few blocks further where you can watch the surfers off East Cliff. For some night life, have craft cocktails at Abott Square downtown. Then, obviously, eating dinner at Vim.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would not be living my dream of opening a restaurant if it wasn’t for the incredible support from my family. They’ve been listening to me talk about it my whole life, and when it finally became a reality, each of them was there believing in me and supporting me in every way imaginable. They all continue to be on this journey with me, coming in to wash dishes or bake scones when somebody calls out, or committing their careers to work by my side like my sister and husband. I am incredibly grateful for all that they have done and continue to do.

Website: vimsantacruz.com

Instagram: vimsantacruz