Meet Jess Izard of Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall, Golden Eagle, and Muchacho

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jess Izard.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Everyone always told me that I was so good at arguing that I should be a lawyer, When I graduated from Chamblee High School (yes, I am an Atlanta native!), I had every intention to be a pre-law student. Finally ending up at Spelman College by way of UNC-Chapel Hill after transferring back home in my sophomore year, I found myself picking up restaurant jobs to subsidize my overwhelming student loans.

Before long, I was out of school with an undergrad in philosophy, tons of student debt and a solid serving resume. In 2008, still not sure of my path, I continued to serve while I enrolled in a graduate program at Georgia State University. At that time Local Three Kitchen & Bar was hiring their opening staff, and it was a chance for me to cut my teeth at what was one of the few chef-driven concepts in town. It was my first in-depth exposure to intentional food sourcing and culinary technique.

Aside from eye-opening food education, the opening training for Local Three offered rigorous courses in beverage training. Viticulture, distilling, and fermentation were exciting me more than my textbook readings on metaphysical philosophy, and it became clear to me that I was already making great money while I was studying to eventually maybe one day make decent money as a superbly educating “fill in the random professional title here.”

I didn’t need a Master’s to see that a fun career full of passion and purpose had been in front of me ever since I took my first food and bev job as a manager at the Stone Mountain Park Funnel Cake and Ice Cream Shoppe.

Georgia State got put on hold, and I dove headfirst into learning as much as I could about hospitality, working in restaurants, and what I could bring to the industry. As they say, I haven’t looked back since.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Loving what you do is not about being in constant bliss 24 hours, seven days a week. Loving what you do is like loving a person— it requires sacrifice and its really hard work. I had to sacrifice judgment that was both real and imagined.

Having been a high achiever in school, most people expected me to follow the societal norm and attend a good college, then a good graduate school and then pursue a career that would put me in an office, at a desk, and behind a computer. That was not for me. It took me a while to find peace with working long hours on my feet in hot kitchens while my counterparts were off on weekends and holidays with standard 9 to 5 hours.

It was very difficult to know that I was doing what I was meant to do when others may have assumed I had just failed at something they thought was more important. It was even more difficult to quell the heat that would come off my face when I was serving, and people would ask me “What ELSE do you do?” As if serving and hospitality were not good enough…

It was the heat of that embarrassment that lit a fire of indignation in me. How dare anyone belittle a trade and pursuit that had given me so much? How dare anyone think that restaurant work is easier or less challenging than anything else? I was going to show them. And I have! Loving what I do now means sacrificing time with my husband and my 1-year-old son.

Loving what I do means continuing to break the stereotypes by being a black mother in a white male-dominated industry. The long days spent away from my son “Chip” are well spent strategizing the growth and success of Ladybird, Golden Eagle, and Muchacho.

Not only am I in a position to inspire the marginalized folks in my employ that success and leadership aspirations can include people that look like them, but I also get to show Chip that the dream of loving what you do can be real. It is hard, but it can be real.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall, Golden Eagle, and Muchacho – what should we know?
Electric Hospitality began January of this year when I returned from 3-month maternity leave. I am Director of Operations, and we manage Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall, Golden Eagle & Muchacho (two concepts in one building). All new-ish restaurants on the beltline with unique approaches to providing food, beverage, service, and ambiance.

I started out in management at Ladybird and took the reigns as General Manager right as we were expanding our outdoor area “The Grove.” The staff doubled, our capacity more than doubled and so did our clientele. I got a fast lesson in time management and organization and excelled in implementing systems to better run the everyday operation. I held that position for a few years up until I went into labor on a Monday while making breakfast before a meeting at Ladybird.

Our other concepts opened in October and when I returned, I took on my current role and focus on culture and Human Resources. Our team is so neophyte that we all end up working on whatever the current needs are, but I have a passion for development and talent acquisition. My mentors always excelled in those areas, which greatly inspired me and I have found those to be my greatest contributions to our company. The agility we have shown in growing fast but still growing the “right way” is what I think makes Electric Hospitality unique.

Our growth directly benefits the folks in our organization, and we only do what makes sense. We are not perfect, but we don’t mind admitting as much. We offer a fast-paced development program to match the fast pace of our concepts, and we believe that work is just as important as play and encourage all members of our teams to take time with their families and doing things they love to do.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
-Carla Penque was the first mentor/ manager of my career. Most of her style, approach, and principals are the ones I use in the restaurant today. We were the same age, so her success was incredibly inspiring to me. Our strongest bond was mutual respect and professional support. She suddenly passed away several years ago.

It saddens me that I can not call on her when I am having a tough day or am facing a difficult decision. The other side of that coin is that I am so heartened that I know she is proud of me and the success I have from server to Director or Operations.

-Chef Taria Camerino has been a mentor, a co-worker, and she was my doula! She always helps me remember the good things in life, the beauty of the every day and challenges me to bring integrity to the fore in all of my actions.

-Nick Bown-Crawford is my current “other half” at Electric Hospitality. I can count on him to be my accountability partner and for a boost either with a snack or a pep talk at any time. I try to do the same for him.

Contact Info:

• Address: 684 John Wesley Dobbs Ave Atlanta GA 30312 (Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall)
  904 Memorial Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30316 (Golden Eagle/ Muchacho)
• Website: www.ladybirdatlanta.com, www.goldeneagleatl.com, www.muchachoatl.com
• Phone: 404.458.6838 (LB), 404.963.1703 (GE), 404.748.9254 (M)
• Email: info@ladybirdatlanta.com, info@goldeneagleatl.com, info@muchachoatl.com
• Instagram: @ladybirdatlanta, @goldeneagleatl, @muchachoatl
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/LadybirdGroveAndMessHall; www.facebook.com/goldeneagleatl; www.facebook.com/muchachoatl

Image Credit:
Kelsey Schulz, Andrew Thomas Lee

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