Farm to Table Meets American Comfort Food

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jeff Rossman, owner and executive chef of Terra American Bistro, located in San Diego, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Terra American Bistro & Catering is one of San Diego's original farm-to-table restaurants and caterers. I'm a pioneer of 23 years with my sourcing and menu development. I continue to WOW guests with my modern American comfort food and restaurant-style catering.

Tell us about yourself

In 1997 I saw a need for a casual fine dining restaurant without the pretentiousness and with a huge focus on local ingredients. My Dad had been in the restaurant business for over 20 years at that point, so Terra was born in the little foodie community of Hillcrest. The farm-to-table movement began, and I was shopping at farmer's markets and at local farms. We soon after started catering events, and each location, each client, each menu, they're all different. That, coupled with the fact that my food is enjoyed by people every day, is a motivator for me. The long hours, cleaning floors, washing dishes...that's all good when the end product sees a customer's smiling face after they've had one of my dishes that's really why we do what we do.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Having not studied business or attended culinary school, I pinch myself daily, knowing where we've come. Over the 24 years, we've had multiple categories wins in the local San Diego Magazine, many food writer's acknowledgments, culinary competition wins, but the biggest of them all....writing two cookbooks, winning Chef Of The Year in 2016 from the San Diego Chapter of the California Restaurant Association, and then Restaurateur of The Year in 2020 by the same group of peers.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

COVID. By far the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with. In the beginning, it was hard to understand that all of my decisions affected other people's lives, namely our employees. The decision-making stops with me. If anything goes wrong, it's ultimately my fault. I always say that I'm only as good as the people around me, so the team is extremely important.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Make sure to surround yourself with quality people with similar characteristics as you. Try not to make hasty decisions since the outcome affects others. Always treat everyone with respect and ask your employees for help instead of directing and pointing.

There's a reason why people say "the restaurant business is the hardest." There are so many aspects inventory control, production, payroll and HR issues, customer/retail issues, sales & marketing, and the list goes on. We've seemed to navigate this pretty well for 24 years and keep our company going in a positive direction.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://terrasd.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrabistrosd/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefjross/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-rossman-5b4795177/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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