V Magazine For Women
Michelle Williams: Passionate About Food
Melissa Minetola Leddy
July 1, 2008
“This isn’t my job—it’s my life.”
Richmond restaurateur Michelle Williams adds, “For women to succeed in this business, they have to give 125 percent effort. You have to have a love and a passion for what you do.”
Michelle’s passion for food has propelled her into local culinary queen status. As co-owner and operating partner of the Richmond Restaurant Group, Michelle has cultivated The Hard Shell, Europa and The Hill Café into regional favorites. The conglomerate’s latest creation, deLux, which debuted in the Fan this past December, already has become a neighborhood hot spot. Michelle also operates Michelle’s at Hanover Tavern, although this Ashland-based eatery is not part of the Richmond Restaurant Group.
When asked which of the five restaurants most represents her personality, Michelle replied, “I don’t think you could pick one. Each one has a sprinkling of tastes.”
Michelle’s personal penchant for variety extends to her favorite cuisine. “I don’t have one,” she admits, “although I am obsessed with Middle Eastern food right now. My favorite style of eating is tapas—I love to taste lots of different tastes.”
Michelle admits, however, to being a picky eater as a child, growing up in Mechanicsville and the Far West End. “I kept it simple,” she says. Only later did she discover her infatuation with different flavors of food.
So how did this eclectic entrepreneur get her start in the restaurant business? Michelle’s story begins as a hostess at The Tobacco Company, a job she held while studying sculpture at Virginia Commonwealth University. “I liked the energy and pace that the kitchen offered,” Michelle says. “It’s electrifying to watch a high-functioning kitchen.” Michelle transferred from VCU to the culinary program at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.
“It wasn’t a difficult decision to make, not even a little bit,” Michelle says, “because the culinary program integrated my passion for art with food.”
As she participated in the culinary program, Michelle worked simultaneously at The Butlery on River Road (now closed). After graduation, she continued her employment at The Butlery, before moving on to what was the Island Grill in Shockoe Bottom. “Here, I got the opportunity to learn how to start a business from scratch, because the Island Grill was starting from scratch,” Michelle says. Those skills soon proved invaluable.
In 1995, Michelle partnered with two friends from her Tobacco Company days, Jared Golden and Ted Wallof. The trio formed the Richmond Restaurant Group. “It was a natural formation,” Michelle says.
The first restaurant that Michelle, Jared and Ted created? The Hard Shell. “Richmond had no high-end seafood restaurant in 1995,” Michelle says, “no casual fine dining. We knew that target market was missing. We also knew we wanted to be downtown, and have a warehouse feel.”
More than a decade later, The Hard Shell is thriving at its Shockoe Slip location. Europa and The Hill Café, similarly, draw crowds to their respective downtown and Church Hill settings.
What are the secrets of success with opening a restaurant, V wanted to know? “You have got to determine your market,” Michelle emphasizes, “and you have to know what that market is looking for. You don’t want to open an Italian restaurant where there are lots of Italian restaurants.”
More secrets: “Staffing, the right price, and consistency of quality.”
Michelle advises wannabe restaurateurs, “You’ve got to really, really love [the restaurant business]. It’s not all that glamorous. It’s rewarding and difficult.”
The best part of the business? “The ultimate satisfaction, for me, is making the customer happy,” Michelle says. “I still cook in my restaurants part time.”
At home, Michelle likes to cook with “lots of spices, especially cilantro.”
Does this high-energy culinary queen make room for free time? Happily, the answer is yes. “In my free time, I like to travel,” Michelle reveals. “I also like to be home.”
“Follow your heart,” Michelle encourages V readers interested in the business of food. “But if you aren’t passionate, this is a hard business to be in.” V
