Having to close the restaurant was a big moment of truth. With a family to support, and bills still coming in, David reached out for work on Facebook. “It was a rude shock and highlighted how hard Covid restrictions were hitting small businesses locally, even high-profile, successful ones like mine.”

“The post paid off, and I ended up at Henri’s Bakery making pies based on some of the dishes at Miss Amelie – lamb and peas, seafood linguine and other crazy flavour combinations. The next thing you know, the pies are a massive hit and there’s a line for them spilling 100 meters out the door. It went gangbusters from there!”

“After the initial success with the gourmet pies, a local businessman asked if I’d consider doing it on a full-time basis. We agreed to some terms, and then built a main production site and purpose-built kitchen/café on premises owned by one the partners.” We recruited to capacity, launched with a bang but the sales weren’t there. Reality set in and we realised then it was going to require a lot more than clever marketing and home delivery.

The necessary adjustments were made, the product line evolved further, and now the main kitchen is a 24-hour operation, supplying three Miss Amelie cafes, and a click and collect and home delivery business.

When Covid restrictions were eased, the restaurant reopened, but re-starting was initially more challenging than expected. “I was working huge days on Miss Amelie Gourmet and didn’t have the manpower and brain power to work out and execute what needed to happen. However, we soldiered on, burning the candle at both ends.

The combined Miss Amelie/Miss Amelia Gourmet business continued to grow and is now a sizeable business. “We’ve done the hard yards. There’s more work to be done, but it’s finally settling down and finding its feet.”

“It starts to feel like it’s too much whenever I get home at 11.30pm and that’s the first chance I've had to eat my lunch - which still happens more than I’d like.”

"What’s hardest is all the missed family time. “My daughters (aged 7 and 5) have reached an age where they are noticing that I’m always working, so it weighs on my mind much more. Family is it – the central thing – so I know I need to set up systems and processes and grow the business in a way that will free up time for my family.”

“I’d love to say that I take time out, meditate regularly, and go on holidays – but none of that happens!”

David says that he manages himself predominantly by soldiering on – “at this point in the journey, there’s often no alternative. Having said that, I’m putting in more help, leaning on the people around me more, and delegating more things to take the pressure off. Sometimes it boils down to a couple of extra hours of sleep and a good catchup over coffee with someone close.”

On Sundays – which is often his only day off – David says what helps is “getting up early, being the best husband and dad you can be, having a chat with my parents, helping around the house - making dinner, walking the dog etc - and just turning off the phone, stopping for a moment to appreciate life and the incredibly understanding and supportive people I get to share it with.”

“After we closed the restaurant, having to let staff go was hard and this weighed heavily. When we reopened the restaurant, we weren’t able re-hire the old crew and it was hard to get new people.”

“Covid crippled hospitality and the type of people who would normally fill our kitchens – travellers, tourists - don’t seem to be returning. I’m not sure if it’s temporary – time will tell – but it seems as if people no longer want to make hospitality a career, which is a shame because it’s a great vocation and integral to the way we all live and connect.”

David says filling vacancies given high current worker shortages continues to be challenging. “We are also experiencing higher than normal absentee levels – due to Covid isolation requirements. This often leaves a big hole in our operations, and for critical roles, it’s like pulling a cog out a machine – stuff just doesn’t get done.”

Despite these challenges, David feels he’s now got a great team in place. “I’m trying to stay as close as possible to everyone, look after them, keep everyone happy, and once I get some additional support in the kitchen, I’ll be able to do more teaching, coaching and mentoring – and maybe free up some time for myself.

“Essentially, it’s about responsibility to family and to those whose livelihoods depends on the business”.

David says it’s also about reputation and image as well as a desire to keep growing and evolving. “We’ve created something unique and special, and I want to continue to develop the Miss Amelie brand.”

“I also want to build an inspired and empowered team around me, and take the business to the next level so it doesn’t all rest and depend on one person, which, at the moment, is still largely me.”

“That even when I’m staring down the barrel towards uncertain times, I’ve got the capability to create and evolve something from nothing.”

“Second, that the restaurant can run without me, and even though sometimes things are not 100%, it’s not going to kill me. To get Miss Amelie Gourmet up and running, I had to let go/turn a blind eye to some things in the restaurant – that never would have happened when I was there fulltime. But I had to shift my mindset and if I hadn’t of got there, I would have driven myself into the ground”.