7 days. That’s what’s left of more than a year. I still remember seeing Mr. K entering the building, and jokingly telling him that if he’s going to remodel anyway, he could remodel it to be a bakery. And then, when he showed me around, seeing the backyard and immediately thinking – this could be his restaurant.
You see, Daniel basically saved my butt 2 years ago, when he started working with me at Pandala as an administrator. I was burned out, and needed time to recover. The deal was that he’d do it for one year because he wanted to then have his own restaurant. And then I decided to rent this place and we made a deal – he’ll get his restaurant, and I’ll keep my administrator.
We spent months planning and working and adjusting and experimenting. October was the month to open, but the strikes cancelled that out. And he had to get surgery in December, while I was going to Germany with the little one. It just wasn’t in the cards. So we kept on shaping the ideas, fine tuning the space. Even now we’re still on it. Just bought 2 beautiful bamboo compositions to give the space more life.
Since February, we’re picking up the pace. A friend started giving classes in the backyard. Daniel is having more cooking sessions done, mostly for other events, but we also tried out something in our space already. All kids love the beautiful Avocado tree in the back. We tried out different concepts and ideas, abandoning what didn’t work or was too energy intense, and carrying on what worked out nicely.
There’s still much to be done. But it feels like a good moment. Daniel is so excited, it’s beautiful to see him like that. It’s a dream of his coming true, in a very unexpected way, like so many things in his life. It fills me with joy to see him thrive after years of hard work, not only in business, but on himself. He truly deserves all the success that is, without a doubt, coming to him.