Page 5 - Eagle Magazine Summer 2021

THE ASSEMBLY
Two years later, our vision was becoming a reality: We’d bought
a house, made friends, and were weeks away from the arrival of our daughter. But we still hadn’t found
the right business, until an on-a-whim appointment to look at commercial real estate landed us in what had recently been Luigi’s Pasta House. We were sold, and our timing couldn’t have been better. In fact, it was so good that I went into labor with our daughter
the day we signed the papers. We
had a long road ahead - one with
more bumps than we could have
ever imagined - but the pieces had fallen into place in the most beautiful, perfect way.
As we finessed floor plans, chose (and re-chose) finishes, and brainstormed menus, our restaurant still needed a name. We turned back to that feeling, the magic that a beloved local business can possess that’s almost impossible
to put into words. We envisioned a place where people would gather over delicious food and great wine or an expertly mixed cocktail, whether they were celebrating or just felt like going out to eat. We wanted our restaurant to bring people together, to be a place where they’d laugh when they saw their neighbors at the next table or send their kids for dinner before prom. We thought about “gathering ‘round” and coming together, and suddenly there was the answer: The Assembly.
When we chose the name, we had no idea just how important assembling would be to the survival of our dream. In the final days of demolition, COVID-19 took over the headlines and a global pandemic brought life
to a halt. But our team at Turnipseed Architecture and Construction came
Gather Round
together to keep us moving forward at whatever pace was possible. We opened our doors on August 10th, 2020, at 50% capacity and with no idea whether people would go out to eat with so many restrictions in place. But our community came together
to fill our dining room and our patio. We closed from mid-November to mid-January as the pandemic raged, operating as takeout-only to do
our part in keeping our community healthy, and again our customers came together and ordered week after week. And when we reopened, the incredible staff we’d assembled - and then so heartbreakingly had let go - came back.
It’s hard to find the words to explain what that last sentence means to
us. Caleb and I hired and trained
a spectacular team, then had no choice but to let them go in the middle of a pandemic. They went on unemployment and found other jobs, but they also waited by the phone for us to tell them the doors would be opening again. Nearly 75% of the staff at The Assembly in the summer of 2021 was with us when we opened in the summer of 2020. But calling them staff isn’t accurate. They are our family. They’ve stuck by us through the best and worst of it, through masks and social distancing and buckets of disinfectant, through fires that rained ash on our patio, through months when we couldn’t give them
a job. And they’ve celebrated with us as we brought more tables into our dining room, unpacked bar stools, and opened the doors to the restaurant we’ve always envisioned. The Assembly may be Caleb and my dream, but it is only a reality because of the people we have the joy of working with every day.
As we approach the first anniversary of The Assembly, we’re finally operating the restaurant we’d set out to open two years ago. We’ve got tables for two as well as for a crowd, and a lounge that’s perfect for a few glasses of wine with friends. We’ve got stools around the bar and a charismatic bartender who makes some of the best cocktails we’ve ever tasted. We’ve got an all- star team in our kitchen led by a Chef de Cuisine with unbridled creativity. We’ve got servers and food runners with hospitality running through their veins who will make you feel welcome, at home, and cared for - because we are in the business of caring, not of customer service.
We invite you to see The Assembly
as an extension of your living room and dining room, because it is also
an extension of ours. Food and wine are our love languages, how we show people that we care about them. When you come to The Assembly, whether it’s a milestone occasion or just another Wednesday night, we want you to feel that love. Let us care for you and your loved ones while you focus on making memories together - because being together is truly what it’s all about.
Photo Courtesy of The Assembly