Chef David Hill & Chef Daniela Craciun

Chef David Hill (00:04):

Okay, so welcome to episode five of Chefs & Lambos by Chef David Hill and today I have a wonderful guest, an old friend and a Romanian chef. I'll let you introduce yourself.

Chef Daniela Craciun (00:44):

Hi, I'm Chef Daniela Craciun. I'm coming from Romania, Transylvania, where Count Dracula is coming from. I'm not related with him, but you never know. And I'm from Romania.

Chef David Hill (01:04):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (01:04):

Beautiful country.

Chef David Hill (01:04):

Very interesting.

Chef Daniela Craciun (01:04):

Yes.

Chef David Hill (01:06):

And I was just going to ask, when did you actually come to Florida? What year was that, and tell me about your first job?

Chef Daniela Craciun (01:14):

Was 2008, I moved to United States from Italy. I lived in Italy for nine years.

Chef David Hill (01:19):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (01:20):

I worked with the best chef there. Was a wonderful experience.

Chef David Hill (01:24):

Romanian chef?

Chef Daniela Craciun (01:26):

No, Italian.

Chef David Hill (01:27):

Or Italian chef? Okay, okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (01:27):

Italian chefs.

Chef David Hill (01:28):

Gotcha.

Chef Daniela Craciun (01:28):

Yes, and very open minded people. Oh, God was amazing. I'm still friends with them after so many years. Then was 13 years ago, I moved to United States after the crash, the market crash. You remember?

Chef David Hill (01:45):

Probably around 2000. Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (01:50):

2008. Yeah. I moved then and I was looking for a job. I was a single mom with two girls, 11 and 12, and I was looking for a job and they say, "Oh, we'll pay you $10 per hour." I say, "Excuse me?" Then my sister and I decided to open a restaurant in the worst time possible. We like challenges.

Chef David Hill (02:16):

Which was your name, Daniela's.

Chef Daniela Craciun (02:19):

Daniela's Restaurant.

Chef David Hill (02:19):

Yes. So what year was that technically?

Chef Daniela Craciun (02:21):

Was 2009.

Chef David Hill (02:21):

2009.

Chef Daniela Craciun (02:23):

Was September 2009, and I have the restaurant for eight years.

Chef David Hill (02:28):

Good for you. I mean, that's a long time.

Chef Daniela Craciun (02:31):

It was amazing. Was such an amazing experience.

Chef David Hill (02:35):

Now, but that spot when you bought it, was it already a restaurant that you were taking over?

Chef Daniela Craciun (02:40):

No. No.

Chef David Hill (02:40):

Okay, so tell me about it.

Chef Daniela Craciun (02:40):

Was a Quiznos, a fast food...

Chef David Hill (02:40):

So like a sub shop?

Chef Daniela Craciun (02:40):

A sub, yes.

Chef David Hill (02:40):

Submarine sandwich. Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (02:49):

Then, because we are Romanian, we like challenges. We don't like stuff easy.

Chef David Hill (02:55):

Yeah. Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (02:56):

Then we build a restaurant from the bottom up. I remember we have 33 inspections to open the restaurant and when the last one came and say, "You're ready to go," we started just hugging, my sister and I, hugging and started crying because finally, we did it.

Chef David Hill (03:16):

Yeah, yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (03:16):

Was very, very hard in Naples to open a restaurant.

Chef David Hill (03:22):

I bet.

Chef Daniela Craciun (03:22):

And do all...

Chef David Hill (03:22):

But you've never done that before, right?

Chef Daniela Craciun (03:24):

No.

Chef David Hill (03:24):

You've never been through an opening?

Chef Daniela Craciun (03:26):

No.

Chef David Hill (03:26):

So how did you, like you just learned or did you have somebody that helped you along the way?

Chef Daniela Craciun (03:31):

No, actually we just learned. We are very, how you say in English, like auto sufficient? We like to learn.

Chef David Hill (03:40):

Resourceful. Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (03:43):

Oh yes.

Chef David Hill (03:43):

Gotcha.

Chef Daniela Craciun (03:43):

Like my sister put the tiles, we painted the whole restaurant. We just built everything together and it's what we did.

Chef David Hill (03:54):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (03:54):

And our culture is different, do it yourself, learn to do it. It's not like you call somebody and do it. And we didn't have so much resource, like money. We don't want people, a stranger to come to invest in our business. We want to do it together.

Chef David Hill (04:19):

Own it yourselves.

Chef Daniela Craciun (04:20):

Yes.

Chef David Hill (04:20):

Yeah. I got you.

Chef Daniela Craciun (04:21):

Yes.

Chef David Hill (04:22):

But when you were going through that process, how did you even know what equipment you wanted? Somebody had to help you with that?

Chef Daniela Craciun (04:32):

We make a business plan and I worked in the restaurant in Italy for nine years. I worked with the best oven. We have RATIONAL. I think it's the best in the world.

Chef David Hill (04:46):

So you kind of envisioned what was there, you're going to build it kind of the same way?

Chef Daniela Craciun (04:50):

Yeah, yeah.

Chef David Hill (04:50):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (04:53):

We kind of built it, yes, the same way like in Italy. We have more staff because I make everything from scratch, my own pasta, my own sausage. They are my traditional, my family...

Chef David Hill (05:09):

Family recipes.

Chef Daniela Craciun (05:11):

Family recipes, yes. I have a lot of family recipes and I use them in my food. And I just like to.. I start at very, very young age. My mom teach me to cook then putting the Italian cuisine together and Italian tradition with my Romanian tradition and the Hungarian tradition was just a wonderful combination.

Chef David Hill (05:40):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (05:40):

And...

Chef David Hill (05:40):

Sounds good.

Chef Daniela Craciun (05:41):

Yeah. And I remember fighting with my sister for years because she wants spaghetti meatballs in the menu. And I say, sorry, but that it's non Italian.

Chef David Hill (05:52):

Yeah. Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (05:54):

I say American.

Chef David Hill (05:54):

It's like American?

Chef Daniela Craciun (05:55):

Americans are. No. I say, I want to give American a really good experience. Like instead of traveling to Italy, you travel to Daniela's Restaurant.

Chef David Hill (06:06):

Right.

Chef Daniela Craciun (06:07):

You eat really food, you know, then yes. It was amazing to go through that journey and teach me so so much.

Chef David Hill (06:18):

But I think like what I'm hearing is like with your cooking.

Chef Daniela Craciun (06:22):

Yeah.

Chef David Hill (06:22):

You are self taught. You didn't go to a culinary school?

Chef Daniela Craciun (06:26):

No. I never went to a culinary school. I don't think necessary to go if you are, if...

Chef David Hill (06:34):

Yeah, that's true.

Chef Daniela Craciun (06:34):

If you just want to learn, like I start for the bottom and go very fast up, because it's who we are. It's we learn to grow on our own and nobody's telling you what to do. Like, don't tell me what to do because I will kick your ass. Sorry. I'm very, very independent. And I love to love.

Chef David Hill (07:07):

But as a child you learned from your mother...

Chef Daniela Craciun (07:11):

My mom, yes.

Chef David Hill (07:12):

And family. But even as a kid, you just knew this is what I want to be as a chef. Or did you have another plan? Like, Hey, maybe I'll go into fashion or something.

Chef Daniela Craciun (07:21):

No, like...

Chef David Hill (07:22):

Always...

Chef Daniela Craciun (07:25):

I grew up in a communist country. We was hard to survive.

Chef David Hill (07:31):

Sure.

Chef Daniela Craciun (07:31):

Like, then you need to put food on the table with very, very little ingredients. Then it's how the survivor mechanism kick in. And you just cook. You need to cook the best food with a little bit of ingredients. And from where you learn and grow, you expand for that perspective. Then imagine when you have a restaurant and you buy all organic ingredients and the best, and you make everything from scratch and you give that to a customer. They in heaven, like I have a lot of customers like coming from Miami, Tampa because was the only restaurant Romanian, Hungarian, Italian restaurant in Southwest Florida.

Chef David Hill (08:23):

Oh, wow. I didn't know that.

Chef Daniela Craciun (08:25):

Yes. And we have Romanian music. We have a wonderful violin player.

Chef David Hill (08:30):

So there's no Romanian restaurants in Miami? Like, do you think till this date, or do you think now there is?

Chef Daniela Craciun (08:36):

I don't know.

Chef David Hill (08:36):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (08:37):

I'm very picky going to eat to other restaurants. I know to make my own food.

Chef David Hill (08:43):

Yeah. Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (08:43):

Then, you know...

Chef David Hill (08:47):

So you had people from all over-

Chef Daniela Craciun (08:48):

All over.

Chef David Hill (08:48):

Coming over?

Chef Daniela Craciun (08:49):

Yes. And I remember like the last wedding I did before the hurricane came, hurricane Irma.

Chef David Hill (08:59):

Okay. Yeah, sure.

Chef Daniela Craciun (09:01):

Yes. They supposed to get married on Sunday at the restaurant. And we did the wedding on Thursday because the hurricane was coming and all people from all over the world came because she was Romanian and they need to do the wedding.

Chef David Hill (09:21):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (09:21):

You know, was let's do it days before. Then we did it because like, I have such great memories. I used to have a customer every year for her birthday came and she just want crepes with sugar because it's how she grew up in Romania. You know? We have wonderful, wonderful memories of the restaurant.

Chef David Hill (09:51):

I remember though, when you reached out to me, you were saying something like, I see what you're doing. I want to step away from the restaurant.

Chef Daniela Craciun (09:58):

Yes.

Chef David Hill (09:59):

Tell me about this decision and kind of what you were thinking back then.

Chef Daniela Craciun (10:02):

Then restaurant business, it's 16 to 24 hours work a day. You are just working.

Chef David Hill (10:10):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (10:12):

Then when I have my last baby, she was a surprise baby. I say, I cannot do this to her. What I did to my...

Chef David Hill (10:19):

Too many hours?

Chef Daniela Craciun (10:20):

Too many hours.

Chef David Hill (10:22):

Right.

Chef Daniela Craciun (10:24):

And employers and that you don't close the door at the restaurant and go home and relax. No, you close the door and go home and make invoices. And hey, let me order this, like...

Chef David Hill (10:37):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (10:37):

It's 24 hours a day.

Chef David Hill (10:39):

Right.

Chef Daniela Craciun (10:40):

You cannot do that when you have a family.

Chef David Hill (10:43):

Right.

Chef Daniela Craciun (10:43):

And for me, family, it's first. Then we decide to sell because I want to spend time with my little one.

Chef David Hill (10:56):

That must have been a big, hard decision, right?

Chef Daniela Craciun (10:57):

I was to a grieving process. I need to do my grieving stuff for six months after I close because was like a baby for me.

Chef David Hill (11:17):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (11:17):

You know?

Chef David Hill (11:17):

Probably pretty sad?

Chef Daniela Craciun (11:18):

Yes. I was very sad to say.

Chef David Hill (11:20):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (11:20):

But was a good decision. I still miss it sometime. Yes. But was a very good decision.

Chef David Hill (11:28):

Could there have been an opportunity where maybe you could have hired another chef to go in there and run it and then you're just kind of like a silent boss, like...

Chef Daniela Craciun (11:36):

I'm...

Chef David Hill (11:36):

Was that ever an option or are you just like, no I can't?

Chef Daniela Craciun (11:40):

No. My name was on the door and the quality, I want the quality of the food to be perfect. I'm a perfectionist. You can say like, need to be perfect.

Chef David Hill (11:55):

Right.

Chef Daniela Craciun (11:55):

And I know this is one of my biggest challenges. Why everything need to be perfect? But chefs sometime are like that. You know? Like we like...

Chef David Hill (12:07):

We are kind of controlling.

Chef Daniela Craciun (12:09):

No.

Chef David Hill (12:10):

What they love saying when it comes to the food?

Chef Daniela Craciun (12:13):

When it comes to the food, yes. We like and everything need to be the same size and like...

Chef David Hill (12:18):

Consistency.

Chef Daniela Craciun (12:19):

Yes. You cannot change a recipe. The recipe need to be the same.

Chef David Hill (12:25):

When you had the restaurant, how many, like staff, how many cooks? How many did you have?

Chef Daniela Craciun (12:32):

Was me and my sous chef and other lady, like three in the kitchen and outside. We were five or six, depending on the season. And how busy we were.

Chef David Hill (12:47):

The other ones in the kitchen. Were they Romanian?

Chef Daniela Craciun (12:49):

No.

Chef David Hill (12:50):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (12:51):

Robin, he's American.

Chef David Hill (12:53):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (12:54):

Yes.

Chef David Hill (12:54):

And then you just kind of trained, Hey, this is how I want it done?

Chef Daniela Craciun (12:57):

Yes. Yeah.

Chef David Hill (13:00):

Okay. Was that hard to train and kind of get him to understand?

Chef Daniela Craciun (13:06):

I found him, Robin, was very hard to find somebody to say, I want my recipe like this. I want...

Chef David Hill (13:12):

Right.

Chef Daniela Craciun (13:13):

You know?

Chef David Hill (13:14):

You have to have a lot of patience for that.

Chef Daniela Craciun (13:15):

I have a lot of patience. I have four kids. You need to have a lot of patience.

Chef David Hill (13:20):

Sure.

Chef Daniela Craciun (13:21):

Patience comes with being a mom. Sometimes chef, they think they are gods and don't forgot we are like everybody else.

Chef David Hill (13:33):

Sure.

Chef Daniela Craciun (13:33):

Then when you let that at the door, your ego and you start working and being a leader, known a boss, because that is a secret being a leader. Show people.

Chef David Hill (13:44):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (13:45):

Don't say do this. No, it's not the way how it's working.

Chef David Hill (13:49):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (13:49):

You know?

Chef David Hill (13:51):

But did he take well to all your direction?

Chef Daniela Craciun (13:55):

Oh, sometime.

Chef David Hill (13:57):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (13:57):

He was older than me but every problem we have, we talk it through and we resolve it. You don't just keep problem there and you hide them. You need to afford them, front them and talk about.

Chef David Hill (14:18):

Just because some people, they might know how to cook or they might know their job, but they're not always good teachers to teach someone, Hey, this is how I want it done. They're just not good communicators. But I have a good feeling you are probably very good at that.

Chef Daniela Craciun (14:32):

Thank you. No, I'm a good leader. It's what, oh, look there. Look.

Chef David Hill (14:41):

Oh, I see that.

Chef Daniela Craciun (14:42):

Yeah. That is a Hawk.

Chef David Hill (14:43):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (14:44):

Yes. Sorry.

Chef David Hill (14:45):

It's okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (14:46):

I'm a gardener too.

Chef David Hill (14:48):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (14:49):

I'm part of the tropical gardening club.

Chef David Hill (14:52):

Nice.

Chef Daniela Craciun (14:52):

Here in Naples, of the native plants in... Yes. I'm doing a lot of stuff, not just...

Chef David Hill (14:59):

Right.

Chef Daniela Craciun (15:00):

A chef.

Chef David Hill (15:01):

So talk to me about the transition coming out of the restaurant. You reached out to me a couple times about how do I charge, how do I do this with these dinners? I kind of gave you a little advice, but...

Chef Daniela Craciun (15:12):

Exactly.

Chef David Hill (15:13):

It was hard for me to kind of give you the steady answer because you are someone who's starting where you're going to have to take lower paying jobs, take whatever work you can get because you have to get your name out there.

Chef Daniela Craciun (15:26):

Hey.

Chef David Hill (15:27):

So talk to me about how you got your name out there and how you got started going out of the restaurant.

Chef Daniela Craciun (15:33):

After I left the restaurant, when I have the restaurant, we have an email list.

Chef David Hill (15:39):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (15:39):

Like every customer who comes in the restaurant, they make...

Chef David Hill (15:43):

Like a book at the door?

Chef Daniela Craciun (15:43):

Yes.

Chef David Hill (15:44):

Like a welcome book?

Chef Daniela Craciun (15:46):

And who want to leave the...

Chef David Hill (15:48):

Guest book comments.

Chef Daniela Craciun (15:49):

Then I left the restaurant with more than 2000 emails.

Chef David Hill (15:55):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (15:55):

And I just send the email to everybody.

Chef David Hill (15:58):

Smart. That's a good idea.

Chef Daniela Craciun (15:59):

Yes. And saying, I sold the restaurant, but...

Chef David Hill (16:03):

This is what I'm doing now.

Chef Daniela Craciun (16:04):

It's what I'm doing now. And plus, before we sell, I called Tim at him from [inaudible 00:16:12] at the newspaper.

Chef David Hill (16:15):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (16:15):

I'm sure you know him.

Chef David Hill (16:15):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (16:15):

And I told him we are selling and he wrote a beautiful, beautiful article about us.

Chef David Hill (16:21):

Nice.

Chef Daniela Craciun (16:22):

Then it's how I did it.

Chef David Hill (16:28):

Okay. But what was that like starting, like how did you, your first couple jobs? How'd that go down? It's a big difference going from a restaurant to going into people's houses.

Chef Daniela Craciun (16:44):

I know, but I'm a person, person. I love to talk. I love to teach.

Chef David Hill (16:46):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (16:48):

And when I do my catering jobs in the same time I'm teaching what I know, I teach nutrition. I'm a certificate in Nutritional for Cornell...

Chef David Hill (16:59):

Okay. I didn't know that. That's great.

Chef Daniela Craciun (16:59):

Yes. For Cornell university.

Chef David Hill (17:01):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (17:02):

Then it's what I like to do. I like the people to understand it's a better way in life, a better, a healthier way. And if your health is good, your life it's much better. Like my logo, my motto is eat healthy, live happy. Because I believe food it's medicine, pays farmers not the pharmacist. It's the way I am.

Chef David Hill (17:35):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (17:36):

The hawk is still there. I'm impressed

Chef David Hill (17:39):

With your work, what areas would you say primarily you're getting calls? How far will you go? What areas are you working?

Chef Daniela Craciun (17:47):

Just in Southwest Florida.

Chef David Hill (17:49):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (17:49):

I don't go farther.

Chef David Hill (17:50):

This far north though. How far north would you go? Would you go to Fort Myers or?

Chef Daniela Craciun (17:55):

I do weddings in Sarasota, too. Weddings, party. Yes. I go to Sarasota sometime too.

Chef David Hill (18:02):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (18:03):

But none and Miami too.

Chef David Hill (18:06):

Sometimes you go to Miami? Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (18:09):

And Fort Lauderdale. I have customer in Miami. I have friends.

Chef David Hill (18:14):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (18:15):

My only problem it's, I'm not a person who like to post stuff in my Instagram and Facebook.

Chef David Hill (18:24):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (18:24):

Actually...

Chef David Hill (18:25):

Why not? Why not?

Chef Daniela Craciun (18:25):

I'm very private. I'm...

Chef David Hill (18:29):

But you should be able to show your work.

Chef Daniela Craciun (18:30):

I know.

Chef David Hill (18:31):

You don't have to show yourself at the beach, I'm saying show your work.

Chef Daniela Craciun (18:35):

I'm silly that way because everything it's much, like I'm private, done.

Chef David Hill (18:46):

It's just the way it is.

Chef Daniela Craciun (18:48):

It's the way I am.

Chef David Hill (18:51):

Okay. See, I think social media people, when I first started were like, you got to do more of this. You got to do more posting. You got to show more stuff. And I was kind of the mind of, I think it's kind of fake. It's like, it's just silly stuff. It's not going to bring in any work. And after so many years of doing it, I do get work. You know what I mean? Like more people that see you and they're like, this guy's busy. Something's going on here. So I'll get random people and just say, Hey, I follow you. And I just want to let you know, I've seen your work and I want to hire you for this or that. And then we come up with a price point they're comfortable with and it's worked out. So, if I could tell you it does work, so don't be afraid to post your food that might equal some kind of future work.

Chef Daniela Craciun (19:41):

I hire a marketing person.

Chef David Hill (19:43):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (19:43):

She's going to take care of that.

Chef David Hill (19:45):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (19:45):

Because she's good at what she's doing.

Chef David Hill (19:49):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (19:49):

Her name is Monica Garcia.

Chef David Hill (19:51):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (19:51):

And she's wonderful. And now she's going to take care of that. Like...

Chef David Hill (19:56):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (19:57):

I wash my hand with something. I...

Chef David Hill (19:59):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (20:02):

If I'm not comforted doing that and take me too long to do something, I hire somebody else to do it.

Chef David Hill (20:08):

Sure.

Chef Daniela Craciun (20:09):

Let's figure out a different way.

Chef David Hill (20:12):

With what I post, it's not to have like, oh, this dish looks the perfect lighting. Everything looks so perfect. My thing is more about, you could pretty much see I'm in a different house every day. So you want to prove like, if anyone's like, how do I know you're good? Or how do I know your food's good? Or how do I know you're the right chef for me? And I'll be like, you can go on my social media, go look at my Facebook, go see the houses, go see the people smiling.

Chef Daniela Craciun (20:40):

Yeah.

Chef David Hill (20:40):

Go see the food. And then you decide, let me know. And you can find me. So I think like that's kind of a source of reference. If they're not sure about you and then also you can go to Yelp. Luckily I'm number one on Yelp, highest reviewed and stuff like that will help and kind of grow your social media and your viewing.

Chef Daniela Craciun (21:02):

Yeah.

Chef David Hill (21:03):

And so, don't be afraid to try different avenue, but it sounds like you're going to try it either way.

Chef Daniela Craciun (21:08):

Yeah, exactly. Like yesterday I have a meeting with her from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Like what a long meeting. Then she's going to take care of that now.

Chef David Hill (21:18):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (21:18):

And I'm more comfortable because she knows what she's doing.

Chef David Hill (21:23):

Right.

Chef Daniela Craciun (21:24):

Excuse me. Then it's work better for me. Like I use my time in a different way. If I'm not comfortable, it's something. And asking for help, it's wonderful.

Chef David Hill (21:35):

Right.

Chef Daniela Craciun (21:36):

We all need to learn to ask for help.

Chef David Hill (21:39):

Sure. And with your cooking, what is the smallest and what is the largest groups you'll cook for?

Chef Daniela Craciun (21:45):

Like the smaller, depending if it's a cooking class, I can do like six people.

Chef David Hill (21:53):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (21:54):

But it's very, very private, but the largest, I have 150 people.

Chef David Hill (22:00):

Wow.

Chef Daniela Craciun (22:01):

I don't have problem doing that.

Chef David Hill (22:02):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (22:03):

I used to have the restaurant every night, 100 people.

Chef David Hill (22:07):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (22:08):

And sometime I was in the kitchen by myself.

Chef David Hill (22:11):

Wow.

Chef Daniela Craciun (22:12):

Yeah.

Chef David Hill (22:12):

But on a party like that, 150, do you have a couple people you bring with you?

Chef Daniela Craciun (22:17):

I bring the bartenders, the waiters.

Chef David Hill (22:21):

And these are from your old restaurant or different people?

Chef Daniela Craciun (22:24):

Some from my old restaurant, they still help me. And some are different people. I have a big event, Naples Pride.

Chef David Hill (22:37):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (22:38):

On June 4th. And then I have people coming to help me because that is huge.

Chef David Hill (22:44):

How many people will that be if you had to guess?

Chef Daniela Craciun (22:48):

I don't know. It's two years. They don't have a pride then I think before COVID happened, I think the last time was like 4,000 people. Then this time is going to be huge because people want to get out and do stuff.

Chef David Hill (23:06):

Sure.

Chef Daniela Craciun (23:06):

They miss doing stuff. Then you know, it's going to be huge. A huge event then. Yeah.

Chef David Hill (23:16):

Now speaking of COVID, were you actually working during that time period when it started? Like, how did you handle COVID?

Chef Daniela Craciun (23:23):

When it started was kind of shock.

Chef David Hill (23:27):

It was like 2020.

Chef Daniela Craciun (23:27):

Yes. Because all of a sudden, all the party, they get canceled.

Chef David Hill (23:32):

Same here. That's what happened to me.

Chef Daniela Craciun (23:35):

But like huge party have 70 people, 125, like huge big party. And they just start calling me days and day. I say, wow, what is this? What is happening? And in the beginning I kind of was scared because I say how I'm going to provide for my family. Actually, my husband provide for the family.

Chef David Hill (23:59):

Right.

Chef Daniela Craciun (23:59):

And that teach me something else.

Chef David Hill (24:02):

Yeah.

Chef Daniela Craciun (24:03):

I'm not a single mom anymore. I have a partner, a husband, and I can let him provide some time because...

Chef David Hill (24:12):

Right.

Chef Daniela Craciun (24:15):

I'm not alone anymore.

Chef David Hill (24:17):

Right.

Chef Daniela Craciun (24:19):

I think hobby teach us a lot, like teach me a lot, teach me to relax more in life, to be more present, to let my husband to provide, all that kind of stuff. I did a lot of gardening with my little one.

Chef David Hill (24:38):

Family activities.

Chef Daniela Craciun (24:41):

Family activities. Yes. We have a huge land. We have two acres and a half. And I plant a lot of fruit trees and a lot of herbs and a lot come from my own garden. A lot of my stuff, then...

Chef David Hill (25:01):

But when COVID was going on, were you actually working or did you kind of just take a break and say...

Chef Daniela Craciun (25:05):

No.

Chef David Hill (25:07):

I want to get through this and not work?

Chef Daniela Craciun (25:10):

But was impossible to work because nobody want you to work.

Chef David Hill (25:12):

See, I got busier. For me it doubled. See what happened was everybody that knew me locally. They didn't want to eat out of a to-go box and get to-go food. They're like, you come cook for us if you're healthy, you don't have a fever. You could smell, taste. So I had a surge. COVID actually helped my business.

Chef Daniela Craciun (25:33):

Oh, okay.

Chef David Hill (25:33):

I was busy already, but this pushed me into a whole nother level. I mean, pretty much like for a month, maybe two or three days off. That's it. So what happened was when they shut down the restaurants for a little bit, they opened up still, the rentals were able to function. It was like to-go food only. So the people would come down, rent the house and they'd have me come because they didn't want to leave the house.

Chef Daniela Craciun (25:59):

Yeah.

Chef David Hill (26:00):

They didn't want to be around a bunch of strangers in a crowded place or whatever. They'd rather be comfortable with their family indoors. And I had families that, you just wear the mask. I've had people that had a physician with them that I do the swab test before I walked in the house. So I had all that happen.

Chef Daniela Craciun (26:19):

Oh, okay.

Chef David Hill (26:19):

But I just got through it and I'm still having effects of it. That I'm still very busy because of it. If they were like older, maybe seventies, they weren't going to take the chance to go out to Florida here and go out to eat or anything like that. So being a private chef was a very good time. So I don't know. I mean maybe with your thing you were trying to do larger groups and maybe that's why you were affected where mine there were like less than 10 people, small groups.

Chef Daniela Craciun (26:51):

Oh, okay.

Chef David Hill (26:51):

You know what I mean? So maybe that's why the larger ones canceled.

Chef Daniela Craciun (26:55):

Yeah.

Chef David Hill (26:55):

Because I had cancellations too, but that only lasted for maybe two weeks. And then people were like, well we got to live, we got to eat.

Chef Daniela Craciun (27:03):

Yeah.

Chef David Hill (27:03):

So it's like, we're not going to go get McDonald's to eat. You know what I mean?

Chef Daniela Craciun (27:07):

No.

Chef David Hill (27:08):

They're not going to live like that. If they have the money, they're going to have the chef come.

Chef Daniela Craciun (27:12):

Yeah.

Chef David Hill (27:12):

But I agree with you. I think COVID taught us a lot. I was a little bit more available during the daytime where we just did like a lot of swimming with my daughter and kind of taught my daughter how to swim that whole time and get little things done around the house.

Chef Daniela Craciun (27:32):

Yes.

Chef David Hill (27:32):

But then again, I learned a lot about your health, you got to stay healthy because what are we as people, if we're not healthy, you can't work. You can't do anything.

Chef Daniela Craciun (27:42):

But that is a secret. To be healthy, eat healthy. I read every label when I buy...

Chef David Hill (27:52):

What's the ingredients in what you're about to eat.

Chef Daniela Craciun (27:54):

The fruit too. If I buy something, I read, if it's a GMO or non GMO. I look at everything because I want to stay a healthy person for a long time. I...

Chef David Hill (28:09):

Sure.

Chef Daniela Craciun (28:10):

I'm almost 49. I don't take any medication. I never did. Just when...

Chef David Hill (28:17):

Right.

Chef Daniela Craciun (28:17):

I have some problem.

Chef David Hill (28:19):

Yeah. Well let me ask you with what you got going on. Is there anything you want to talk about as far as your business or advertising? Because I want to get you out of here. Is there anything you want to plug, talk about as far as your website or anything?

Chef Daniela Craciun (28:32):

Yes. The website it's on right now and I have a new website coming on.

Chef David Hill (28:38):

Okay.

Chef Daniela Craciun (28:39):

Like this people can buy the pasta and my products from the website and I'm working on that.

Chef David Hill (28:47):

What is the address? Do you have it? Do you know what the website will be called?

Chef Daniela Craciun (28:51):

It is just chefdaniela.com.

Chef David Hill (28:53):

There you go.

Chef Daniela Craciun (28:54):

Yes.

Chef David Hill (28:54):

That's it.

Chef Daniela Craciun (28:55):

It's going to be the same website.

Chef David Hill (28:56):

Sounds great.

Chef Daniela Craciun (28:58):

Yes. No.

Chef David Hill (28:59):

So besides selling that, is that pretty much...

Chef Daniela Craciun (29:03):

I do catering. Yes. I still continue to do catering and yes. Selling from my website and I'm learning to grow my own mushroom. I'm going the mushroom business.

Chef David Hill (29:15):

Wow.

Chef Daniela Craciun (29:16):

It's a lot going on and I just...

Chef David Hill (29:18):

That's awesome.

Chef Daniela Craciun (29:19):

I just love everything. Every aspect of my life.

Chef David Hill (29:23):

Well, I'm really happy for you. It sounds like you got a lot of positive things coming your way and a lot of things to look forward to. And I just want to thank you for coming on today.

Chef Daniela Craciun (29:32):

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Chef David Hill (29:34):

Yeah, no problem. Good seeing you and you have a great day.

Chef Daniela Craciun (29:37):

Good luck too.

Chef David Hill (29:38):

Thank you.

Chef Daniela Craciun (29:38):

Great everything. Thank you.

Chef David Hill (29:39):

Take care.