We had the good fortune of connecting with Marc Chitwood Nicholas Stoks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marc Chitwood, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Nicholas: There will be risk involved with any endeavor you take on—and the bigger the goal, the bigger the risk. Obviously, in starting a restaurant, there was a great deal of risk involved, especially considering that, in our case, it was two people who had worked in plenty of restaurants but had never owned one. If you want to grow, then taking risks is a given, but with Marc and I, our work ethics and communication are so well-aligned; he is a business partner you can count on in any situation, which made taking those risks less scary. To me, taking risks, regardless of the outcome, is an opportunity for growth, both personally and professionally. Through the highs and the lows, we have learned so much about ourselves, and about this profession. It was a risk, for sure, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Marc: I’ve always said that playing it safe doesn’t get you anywhere. On three different occasions, I’ve packed up everything I owned and moved to across the country, for no reason other than to challenge myself and try something outside of my comfort zone. Maybe it’s over-confidence, or maybe it’s being naive, but I’ve never looked at it as taking a risk, because I never questioned whether or not I’d be successful. With starting Steel Cup [Café], I just looked at it as the first pillar to the empire I wanted to build. We had to start somewhere if we wanted to grow. I tend to focus on being optimistic in unfamiliar situations, like starting this restaurant. I could choose to be nervous about the risk involved, but it doesn’t help anything to worry. I went into this with confidence and a lot of hard work, because I’ve been in these situations before, and I wouldn’t be where I am now in my career if I hadn’t taken all of those risks. The unfamiliarity of it gets less intimidating each time.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Steel Cup Café is a scratch kitchen and coffee house specializing in classic café favorites with an artisan twist. Our mantra is “Community. Creativity. Sustainability.” and we truly live by those words. We would be nothing without the community surrounding us—especially after the year we just had. Being environmentally-friendly is also extremely important to us, and we do our part by partnering with local and small-scale farmers, operating energy-efficient technology, and refusing the use of single-use plastics in favor of 100% biodegradable, plant-based alternatives.

As a relatively new restaurant that barely has two years under its belt, we’ve had a very small window of time to distinguish ourselves in a city with so many amazing restaurants, and we like to think we’ve done a pretty good job of doing that. We’re very proud of our 5-star ratings on Yelp and Google, and of the reputation we’ve built for ourselves in our community. We pride ourselves on our top-tier service and on the collaborative space we’ve created that spotlights local creatives, but anyone will tell you that our food is the star of the show. Marc is a brilliant chef, and the menu he’s created is truly something special. Everything we serve is made in-house, from scratch—that’s what makes us different from so many other restaurants. We never cut corners, even though it would be so much easier, and probably cheaper, to bring in pre-made, or lower quality product. Our dedication, creativity and attention to detail, especially in the kitchen, is what sets us apart. That, and our work ethic. For the first 18 months, we had no staff. It was just us—but we put our noses to the grindstone and refused to let up. Sure, we made some hard lessons along the way, but we came away smarter and more seasoned because of them. Has it been easy? Absolutely not. Has it been worth it? One hundred percent.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Marc: You have to take a ferry to Catalina Island for the day—go zip-lining and take the hummvee tour of the island to see the bison and the amazing views. In Long Beach, Hilltop Park in Signal Hill has some amazing views of the city. Take a gondola ride through the canals of Naples. Go paddle boarding in the canals. Ride the bike path along the beach, or take a drive around the Palos Verdes peninsula. Ballast Point is a great brewery, right on the water. Belmont Shore has some really great places to eat—Cafe Gazelle, George’s Greek Cafe, and Sushi Ai are some of my favorites.

Nicholas: Walk down Pine Street. Watch the sunset from Bluff Park. The Belmont Brewing Company has a great patio. The Hanger at the Long Beach Exchange is a fun place to eat, or go to Saint and Second for a nice dinner.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Marc: Wow, where to begin… For me, I have to shout out two of my mentors, Ben and Eric. Ben was the first one to put me in a major management role, and our continued relationship outside of work has molded my way of thinking in so many ways. Eric taught me how to write a recipe right, and helped me to hone my cooking skills. His guidance and one-on-one mentorship got me to understand the processes behind the scenes, which has been invaluable in this venture.

Nicholas: From the very beginning, my parents, Gary and Vicki, have provided us with so much support and insight from personal experience with owning their own businesses. It has been so beneficial to have someone in our corner who has been through this themselves. Regardless of whether they had the answers or not, having them as a sounding board has put our minds at ease many times.

Marc: And, of course, there’s our team: Marc, Alenni, and myself, “The Tripod”. Together, we had the three major areas covered: food, marketing, and front-of-house. We have been able to focus on our own areas of expertise, knowing that the other areas are covered. We have a great symbiotic relationship.

Nicholas: There is strength in numbers. We give each other constant support. We don’t always agree on everything, but we know each other so well and can appreciate the constructive criticism, knowing that each another’s ideas are coming from a genuine place of helpfulness.

Website: www.steelcupcafe.com

Instagram: @steelcupcafe

Facebook: www.facebook.com/steelcupcafe

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/steel-cup-café-long-beach-5?osq=steel+cupcafe

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