Interviews with the Women of Rudi

I had the absolute delight of connecting with and chatting with some of the beautiful ladies at Rudi! It was such a treat to sit down with Grace, Aletha, and Cherish, each bringing their unique flair to their roles within the Rudi family.

Grace (Manager)

When did you start Rudi? 

I’ve been here since before it opened!

Where were you before Rudi?

Wind Cries Mary and before that,I was living up island working at Tigh-Na-Mara

What made you come over to Rudi from Wind Cries Mary? 

The opportunity to open a new restaurant was a big exciting pull for me. I’ve worked for Jesse who owns the restaurant for like 6 plus years. I worked for him in Vancouver as well. It wasn’t his own restaurant in Vancouver, but we worked together for a company in Vancouver and then I moved to Victoria and naturally gravitated towards him again.  I wasn’t there for the opening of Wind Cries Mary, I joined about a year later, so when he decided to open Rudi, I just really wanted to be with him to open a new restaurant

Were you a manager at Wind Cries Mary as well?

I did both, I was serving and managing, but I’m just managing here at Rudi

Do you like the change? 

I do! It’s a nice little step up for me as well. 

So what inspired you to pursue the management role of a restaurant? 

Well, I love the industry. I’ve always worked in different areas and different positions in it. I’ve been serving since I lived in Victoria over at Wind Cries, so I just wanted to do something different and be as hands-on with opening a new restaurant and learn everything that went into opening a restaurant and the business side behind it, I was really interested in learning all aspects of it.

So far what is the most memorable experience you’ve had since being a manager?

Probably opening weekend. Yeah, you know, working for a month or so, and we’ve known about this for months and then opening that weekend and seeing friends, industry people, and people we know coming to the restaurant get excited about it was really rewarding!

If you could describe your management style in 3 words, what would they be? 

Collaborative, Fair, Communicator, 

I love communication, lots of communication. You can never over-communicate so I love just working as part of a team and bringing my staff in on the decisions and implementing those decisions together. 

If you could have dinner at any restaurant in the world which would it be?

French Laundry!

How do you keep your team motivated during busy times?

Keeping my energy levels and positivity high trying to make them laugh and smile to keep them from getting stressed down, but mainly energy levels.  We all really enjoy being busy and thrive in that environment,  we actually need more motivation when it’s on the slower side because when it’s busy we’re ready. We’re always really excited to be busy!

What is your current favourite dish on the menu? 

Parisienne Gnocchi

How would you describe the Victoria food scene? 

For a smaller little city, I think Victoria does really, really well with how many restaurants we have in different kinds of restaurants we have. The industry is always really supportive of each other. 

Why do you think accessibility, both physical and digital is needed more so in the food scene?

Everything is digital. Now everyone finds out about everything digitally, I mean, when I think if I want to go somewhere what do I do? I’m on social media looking it up. It’s so often when people go to research things now in particular food they want to see the pictures of the food and the interior of the restaurant. Those things make a big difference in people’s choices of even going to restaurants. So I think it’s really important to be on top of that because people want to see the visuals nowadays. 

What makes Victoria special to you? 

The sense of community, I love that. I’m from London, so it’s a very big city and I love London for so many reasons, but once I moved here. I realized I loved this even more for me, living here full time, I just love the sense of community, I love how friendly and helpful everyone is in this town. As well as it being absolutely beautiful here!

Aletha (Bartender)

What got you into bartending?
I was going to be a teacher, but then I started working as a sandwich cook at Fol Epi. I decided I wasn’t going to leave the industry. Bartending looked cool, and I liked the creative freedom it offered, so I made the switch to bartending.

Did you do any formal training or did you just jump right in?

I have formal training, I took a course with the Nimble Bar Company, which is right here in Victoria, from Little Jumbo. Then I learned from some really great bartenders along the way in the last couple of years!

Where were you before Rudi?
Bartholomew’s Public House.

What is the most memorable experience you’ve had so far since you started bartending?
There are so many! But I think the competitions really stand out! Also, anytime I get to make a person a drink when they don’t know what they want, and you end up making them their new go-to drink.

If you were a cocktail, what would your ingredients be, and what would you be called?
I feel like I would have a very bitter cocktail, but also sweet one. I really like Amaretto. I put it in everything! Like really nice fancy cocktails, I’ll put a little splash in them. So I would have Amaretto and Fernet, because Fernets a bartender’s favourite and whiskey. As for a name, I am the worst at naming things, so we’ll call it a TBD.

What is your favourite drink to make?
For myself at home, I make strictly Manhattans because they are delicious and easy. I don’t need any tools to make it; I can stir with my finger. But for the classics, I really like making Whiskey Sours.

What is the weirdest ingredient you’ve ever used in a drink?
Oh, I’ve used so many. I’ve put onion in a margarita. Another one would be fermented mushroom juice; that was going in a vegan Caesar.

If you could describe the Victoria food scene, how would you describe it?
Seasonal. I think everywhere on the coast is like that; we focus on what we have and create menus around those seasonal ingredients rather than creating menus for ourselves.

What is your favourite food and drink pairing?
A classic hot dog or burger and beer; that’s my happy place.

What is your current favourite dish on the menu here?
Parisienne Gnocchi.

What is one myth or stigma you want to break about bartending?
I think a big one is the idea that we are all heavy drinkers. I find that most people think we all go home and drink, but I’m like, I don’t actually drink a lot. And our bar manager has been sober for two years. So that’s a big stigma that we always get; we are not all raging alcoholics. We just like booze, but not always in an overconsumption way!

What’s one word you would use to describe Rudi?
Cozy.

Why do you think accessibility, both physical and digital, is more needed in the food industry?

I think everybody should be able to go out to eat. Everybody needs to eat. We all need food, so just because you have any sort of dietary restriction or disability, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be allowed to eat; everybody should be able to eat at every restaurant if they want.

What makes Victoria special to you?

It’s small but big. I like that it has a small-town feel; everybody, especially in the industry, knows each other, we’re all friends with each other, and we all hang out together. Victoria also is still big enough that it kind of feels like a bigger city; I come from a small town in Alberta, so I still get that feeling of togetherness here, but I can also go walk around downtown and not be around anybody I know, so I enjoy that!

Cherish (Server)

Tell me the story of how you got to be a server at Rudi!
So, I have worked for Jesse, the owner, for a few years. I met him when I first moved to Vancouver in 2015, but I’ve kind of been travelling to different areas for the last few years. I was on the opening team of Wind Cries Mary; I had just finished a contract at Disney. He sent me a message and said, ‘Hey, I’m opening a restaurant in Victoria. Would you want to come and be on the opening team?’ I said yes, of course! So, I opened Wind Cries Mary, but shortly after, COVID happened, and I was like, ‘Absolutely not, I hate Victoria, lol.’ So, I moved away and then did another contract at Disney. Jesse again messaged me and said, ‘I’m opening another restaurant. Would you give Victoria another chance?’ So, I said, ‘Sure, let’s do it, let’s get the band back together.’ and now I’m at Rudi.

We are going to hit rewind for a second – contract for Disney?!
Disney World. I was in the Cultural Representative Program, working in the Canadian Pavilion in Epcot, with a bunch of Canadians. So, if you’ve ever been to Epcot, there’s the World Showcase, and every country has people from there working there.

What is your most memorable serving experience?
I guess, like, there’s the wow factor of serving a celebrity at Disney, of course, and it’s always nerve-racking. But the nice things are always when people come on vacation or if they’re celebrating, and they just had a good time and you helped with that.

If you were a cocktail, what would you be?
A spicy Margarita. I’m a little bit spicy sometimes, and I can have a bit of tartness to myself, lol!

How would you describe the Victoria food scene?
I haven’t really lived here for that long; I just moved back in November. But I guess, from the last time I lived here till now, it’s growing. There’s so much more happening in the last few years that I’ve been away, which I enjoy!

What’s your favourite food and drink pairing?
French fries and a Diet Coke.

What’s your current favourite dish on the menu?
Our Potatoes.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job at Rudy?
I really love meeting people. I could have followed my mom’s dreams of becoming a nurse or a lawyer, but instead, I decided to go into something where I could meet new people every day, I could travel and serve if I speak the language, and I love that about working in the hospitality industry; you’re always meeting people and meeting a lot of dogs!

Why do you think accessibility, both physical and digital, is more needed in the food industry?
I think that in this industry, you need to be accessible because we need to be open to letting everyone in. That’s what we’re here to do. We want everyone to feel the same things be included in the same things and eat the same things that they choose.

What makes Victoria special to you?
It’s the people here; the people are so welcoming! It also helps that we have the best winters. But again, the people; everyone is so friendly here, and they just want you to be here.

I’d like to extend a massive thank you to the entire Rudi crew for graciously welcoming me into their space to not only savour the delicious offerings on their menu but also to engage in heartfelt conversations about what truly sets them, and Rudi, apart. Your warmth and hospitality truly make Rudi an unforgettable culinary destination in Victoria!

Read my review on Rudi HERE