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WEEKLYPRESS.COM · UCREVIEW.COM · OCTOBER 05 · 2011 All About Aimee and Her Magical Garden


By Maria Valetta Food & Wine Connoisseur


H


er spirit embodies every corner of this place. These were


the exact words I thought to myself after a lovely hour- long conversation with Ai- mee Olexy, the perky, always smiling, persona behind Tal- ula’s Garden in Washington Square. I was lucky to have her full attention for this hour chat in the quaint outdoor oa- sis that gives the restaurant the second half of it’s name. The first half, Talula (used also in the name of her Table and Market she owns way out in Kennett Square) was procured from the middle name of her daughter: An- nalee Talula Rae Sikora who is 6 years old, in first grade, and yes, she loves cheese. Considering how busy the restaurant has been, and how busy Aimee is for that mat- ter—running two nationally acclaimed restaurants—I was thrilled to be sitting down with her for an interview. Sure, Talula’s Garden has


gotten plenty of press lately: named one of the best new restaurants in the U.S. by Bon Appétit magazine, receiving a rave 2 bell (sounded more like a 3 bell) review from our city’s own (and often cruel) food critic Craig Laban, and then getting repeatedly blasted here and there for the turnover of chef after chef. Everyone wants to know what’s been going on with the chef’s leaving, and the blame has been put on co- owner Steven Starr for med- dling too much in “Aimee’s kitchen.” But that’s not what I’ve come to talk about with Aimee. I’m here to look past the drama. To get to know her, the restaurant’s most enticing concept (the cheese bar), and how she created the beauty that flows in and out of this magical garden.


MV: How do you do it, the back and forth? (Considering one restaurant is anchored in the heart of Washington square and the other, Talula’s Table, an hour outside of the city in Kennett Square) AO: Balancing doesn’t feel hard for me, it’s probably hardest on my daughter. She misses me.” MV: And the stress of having to run two places? AO: I love it…I’m such a busy body…the only prob- lem that frustrates me is do- ing nothing during that hour- long commute. How hasn’t someone not invented a way


to get me home quicker so I can finish all the things I need to do? MV: Ah-ha! You should have negotiated with Steven Starr for a car service to take you back and forth so you could multitask while traveling be- tween the two! MV: This spot was closed for a number of years so it’s a joy to see the life that has been put back into it. The neigh- borhood has really embraced it and it has a magical feeling to it, especially at night. AO: I have had so many peo- ple tell me they too feel this place is magical. I had one customer tell me it feels like Alice and Wonderland—the real one! But it’s true, you can be outside and having drinks and then you walk inside and the warmth of bright colors, reds and yellows light up the inside and there’s art and all the little “homey” touches. Most of our décor items are things you’d typically have in your home and are not manufactured for commer- cial use.


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MV: The way it all came to- gether, is it everything you envisioned? AO: Yes, but I do have a thing that I didn’t expect to happen at all …...when I’m not at Talula’s Table, I miss it, I miss it bad, and then when I’m not here [Talula’s Garden] I miss it and my mind won- ders what’s going on while I’m not there? Who’s work- ing? What am I missing? And which customers are com- ing in? And vice versa. I’m constantly asking [the staff] when I come back in which customers were here? What did they order? Did I miss anyone’s anniversary or oth- er special occasion?


MV: So you feel a real genu-


Talula’s Garden in Washington Square.


ine attachment to both of your “babies”? AO: I do, it’s really like it’s the kid thing…you want to be there for every moment and not miss out on anything.


MV: It doesn’t seem to me that you would let anyone get in the way of what you want for either one of your restau- rants, so I’m not sure why people are making such a big fuss over kitchen changes. It doesn’t seem to have impact- ed you, or the business. AO: That’s the difference when you you’re working every day of your life, and you’re fully in it, you don’t think about anything but the people you’re serving and to me, the day you stop doing that, that will be the actual day when it starts to get a little messed up. You can’t be perfect. I get it that you may not agree all the time or pull it off correct- ly, but at the end of the day that’s all I’m thinking about.


How are they [the custom- ers] enjoying the experience? How are the people feeling are we doing? Are we mak- ing every table feel special? I get very into that even to the point were I want to know where people are from…I like to connect.


Right now the temperature is just right to enjoy a taste of the appropriately titled cheese plate, The Locavore. It’s the newest addition to the cheese list, which showcases six new, local area cheeses. But what happens when the winter comes? Will the neigh- borhood vibe still feel alive or will the garden sit sadly in the snow empty and forgot- ten until the rebirth season of spring?


To my surprise, Aimee is looking forward to the fall and winter seasons when service will move fully in-


doors because the restaurant will run at a smaller scale. This will leave more time to be creative, to round out the concept of the restaurant with a cheese class perhaps? Or a cheese making class, something I’m hoping for. I even suggested a canning class, and wine classes. She elaborated on this for me:


MV: So a seasonal shift doesn’t scare you? AO: I will miss this outdoor spot but I have a couple little ideas for out here…maybe not eating, but I can just pic- ture some couples wearing sweaters, covering up with a blanket and having a warm drink now and then once it gets cold. Come November the hard-working staff can (hopefully) take an extra day off and there’s more time to work on things like tasting


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