Dear Hurley House Family,

The line between success and failure in a small business, and particularly in a food-based small business, is razor thin, and Hurley House is unexpectedly and precariously straddling that line.  Within the span of three days, I have learned that three members of my full-time kitchen staff, including our kitchen manager and head baker, will be leaving Hurley House around the end of this year for personal reasons.  I am grateful to each of the outgoing team members for the excellence they have brought to Hurley House and the ways they have made every morsel of food special.

I find myself facing the grim reality that, without a kitchen staff, Hurley House cannot continue to operate as it does today.  This situation is different from past hiring announcements where we needed to fold new kitchen team members into an established kitchen program. Our existing kitchen program is about to be non-existent, and rebuilding will require several new, talented team members committed to leadership and keeping the Hurley House kitchen healthy and vibrant.

When we first opened, I asked for help to fill in the gaps that I couldn’t fill on my own, and some key members of the Hurley House community showed up in big ways to make it happen.  Today, I am standing before you, acknowledging some massive gaps, curious if maybe hidden somewhere in the family of loyal clients and devoted Hurley House fans, there might be a solution waiting to be discovered.

To be clear, this is not a money problem.  The business is profitable, the brand is strong, and the client loyalty is excellent.  This is a personnel problem.  If I could materialize a trained kitchen staff who is ready to work full time in the Hurley House kitchen, and do so in a way that aligns with our values and vision for hospitality, then I would.  But I cannot.  So I am seeking out your help, asking you to give our situation some thought, and am eager to see what surfaces.

While I managed the kitchen when Hurley House first opened, my role transitioned away from the kitchen into business management and brand development in 2020.  For over four years I have worked closely with our kitchen team, but it is not an option for me to return to managing or working in the kitchen.  The work of running, growing, and marketing the business is now my main focus, and there is not enough time for me to do both.  To provide an additional layer of context, in the wake of an unexpected divorce last year, I have had to take on part-time employment in other places in order to provide for me and my children.  I don’t say this to garner pity, but to illuminate why what might seem like an obvious solution (Why doesn’t Katherine manage the kitchen?) is not a viable option for me at this time.

To be specific, we need to hire a minimum of three full-time, well-trained, experienced kitchen team members as quickly as possible in order to stay open after the first of the year.  The training process is extensive and time-consuming, simply because we offer so many different products.  We make everything from scratch, and have a very wide product range.  It’s a lot.  

We do not offer health benefits, and the pay is hourly.  We are closed on the weekends and take generous breaks for all major holidays.  The kitchen hours are Monday through Friday, beginning at 8:00, and typically ending around 3:00.  We wash our own dishes. The job is very physically taxing, and attention to detail is mandatory.  Toxicity is not tolerated in the work environment, and I am whole-heartedly committed to caring well for my staff and ensuring they feel safe at work.  The key characteristic I look for in members of the Hurley House staff is teachability.  Learning the “Hurley House way,” as we call it, requires humility and openness on the part of the employee, particularly if they have previously worked in other commercial kitchens.  Kindness, honesty, and loyalty are also incredibly important characteristics of our team members. Our outgoing team members have embodied these values with excellence, setting a high bar for the employees who will follow.

When I started Hurley House in my home kitchen, the vision was to create space for change and connection to happen, and it has been an incredible joy to watch that dream come to life over the past eleven years.  I believe in this vision today as much as I did in the beginning, and I am devoted to continuing to share the gift of hospitality in whatever form I can.  In order for Hurley House to stay open, we will need to see something miraculous unfold, and if it does, we will celebrate.  And if it doesn’t, then we will grieve, knowing something new will be born from the ashes of sorrow.  

Thank you for your help, your support, and your time to consider possible solutions.  I look forward to hearing from you.

katherine sasser

P.S. If you’d like to reach out, click the button to send an email my way.