Today we’d like to introduce you to Wes Kent.
Hi Wes, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started cooking when I was 18 years old after trying college living in Athens, Ga and that not being the right fit for me at the time. I fell in love with the restaurant atmosphere. Cooking and helping nourish people were the top two things I enjoyed from the onset of my hospitality career. One day, at the age of 20, I realized to myself that I could blink my eyes and still be cooking as a job and playing music around Athens and 20 years would go by. While that would be fun, I would definitely not be able to accomplish my young dreams of opening a restaurant and having a family. So, I decided to go to culinary school and I attended Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina. After completing an accelerated associate degree I headed back to Athens to pursue a family and for my culinary internship at Hugh Acheson’s flagship restaurant 5&10. Then went on to move up the ranks to work at a sister restaurant called “The National” where I feel I learned so much about true leadership and communication from Chef Peter Dale. After being there for a little over a year and getting married to my wife Magali, We decided to move to Atlanta where I worked at Empire State South. That journey then led us as a family to work in Thomasville, to help run the “Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Shop. After a couple of years in Thomasville, I linked back up with a family friend who for the past couple of years he and I had been loosely talking about doing something together in the restaurant realm. Those discussions eventually led us to open Silver Queen in Monroe, GA!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Learning life as a young person was certainly challenging, and not taking the traditional college route had its ups and downs for sure. On the whole, I feel that this journey has been difficult at times, but also came with a providential purpose that I always knew was destiny for me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We have opened Silver Queen in Monroe, Ga March 2nd, 2020. I’m super proud of the type of food and environment we offer for Monroe and the surrounding community. Being a part of this small-town community has been one of the highlights of opening Silver Queen. Serving guests at the restaurant and local events is for sure the highlight of my job. We feel like we are part of the fabric of the Downtown Monroe patchwork and that is a very special feeling.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Always make the next small decision the right one!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.eatsilverqueen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatsilverqueen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eatsilverqueen
- Other: https://linktr.ee/SilverQueen
