Elena Soderblom

About

I have spent years hustling in New York City restaurants. I began as a host at the Upper West Side brunch icon, Isabella’s. I started serving across the street at Ocean Grill, moved behind the bar, and ended up downtown at Dos Caminos slinging margaritas and covered in mango puree on a daily basis. My interest in wine led me to Hearth in the East Village, and then to Montmartre and Perla, where I became the Beverage Director. I then moved to the Michelin-starred Ai Fiori as Service Director.

I love restaurant people, but in my years in service, I noticed not everyone had the same love I did. I saw guests treat employees as servants, entertainment, and sexual objects. I saw chefs and managers lead by fear and treat employees as disposable or downright stupid. I saw the blind leading the blind, as unprepared managers desperately promoted equally unprepared subordinates and created generations of leaders with no clue how to lead people. I saw ownership who viewed employees as impediments to their success, not the heart of their company. I saw employees treat each other just as poorly. Disrespect is rampant. Visit any after-work haunt of these folks and you will hear war stories of just how horribly people can treat each other.

My mission became to build an environment where respect and opportunity gave restaurant employees a chance not just to survive, but to thrive. I got the opportunity to help open nearly a dozen new venues in the Seaport District, where I eagerly took on the role of Learning & Development Manager. This was my chance to set the tone, to build great businesses from the ground up, and to provide employees with the support I wished I had received. Yet I met the same familiar resistance: owners who saw employees as a threat, leaders who had no support or training in how to lead, and great employees who were left to fend for themselves against unreasonable expectations.

Then the pandemic hit our industry like a ton of bricks.

Unemployed and in quarantine, I realized I needed to find a way to make life better in food service. I began to study economics as a path toward a more successful future for the people I loved. I proudly completed my dual MBA and Master’s in Economics at American University, with a mission to find new business models where both hospitality businesses and hospitality employees can find economic success.