Read Part One
Chris Gray and Nate Hill sat at the picnic table at Town Park while Chris’ three kids played on the playground. The two budding entrepreneurs had just purchased the well-known “Eddie B Cookin” food vending trailer — a move that had saved their former employer, restaurateur Eddie Villaneuva, from seeing his restaurant placed on the auction block.
The bank had issued the check on Wednesday, just a few hours ago. And tomorrow, Eddie would hand the check to Mike, the state of Colorado revenue agent — and be handed back the keys to his restaurant, Eddie’s Uptown Grille, which had been locked up since July 14.
“A bunch of people are going to get their jobs back because of this,” Nate assured me as he rolled a cigarette. “So that’s a plus. I feel good about that.” Continued...
Budding entrepreneurs Nate Hill and Chris Gray at Town Park last Wednesday, shortly after getting the check from the bank to purchase the well-known Eddie B Cookin food vending trailer. Also shown are Chris' sons Ezra, and swinging in the background, Tanner. |
Chris and Nate had decided last spring that they wanted to own a food vending trailer — months before the state of Colorado showed up at Eddie’s restaurant, locked the doors and installed the “SEIZED” notice in the window.
“We were already looking at doing this,” Chris explained, “and we’d been talking to Nate’s dad about investing in our new business.”
“Chris and I met a year and a half ago at Farrago’s [Market Café],” said Nate. “Chris hired me at Farrago’s .. and we realized we worked really good together.”
“So we’d been talking to Eddie, getting advice from him, since he already knew the food vending business,” Chris continued. “We were looking at trailers for sale, but they were, like back in New Jersey and North Carolina.
“And then this all happened, and Eddie went and inquired about being able to sell the trailer.”
Eddie’s food trailer — with which he’d started his business back in 2005 — had been seized along with the restaurant on July 14. Eddie asked the revenue agent in charge of his account whether he could sell the trailer and pay off his back taxes with the money. The agent said, sure, but the buyer will not get the title until the check is in the state’s hands. Continued...
Eddie Villaneuva stares across his restaurant patio on Tuesday, after his decision to sell his familiar "Eddie B Cookin" trailer to his two former employees.
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“When Eddie came to us with the proposition, we said great; everybody wins all the way around. Eddie gave us a good price — and we didn’t have to drive across country to get it,” Chris explained. “Eddie is going to remain a partner in the trailer, and we’re going to use his name — Eddie B Cookin — for the first year or so, until we get familiar with the business.”
Nate and Chris eventually want to take the trailer on the road, to work some of the 1,000 or more festivals that happen each year around the Four Corners area.
“It’s too hard to support the trailer just working locally here in Pagosa with so many other trailers here in town. Our idea is to run nothing but festivals, throughout the whole summer,” Chris said. “We a little nervous about this, because it’s the first time for both of us at running our own business. But at least we have Eddie to lean on. And of course, Nate's dad.”
The main investor in the trailer is Nate’s father, Bob Hill, who I was told has extensive business experience.
“My dad’s going to be in charge of everything except the cooking,” Nate explained. “We do that. We travel, and we cook, and we go where he tells us to go. And we bring home the money.”
“I just want to work for myself, you know, because I’ve been working for other people since I was 13 years old.”
About 24 hours later, I pulled up at the entrance to Eddie’s Uptown Grille, and found Eddie there, along with Chris and his kids, and Marinda Woodruff, Eddie’s restaurant manager.
And Mike, the agent from the Colorado Department of Revenue —he was there too.
I was hoping to get a photo of Eddie handing the check over to Mike, but Mike was reluctant to be in the photo.
I did get a photo of Eddie holding the keys. Continued...
Mike drove off, and the rest of us entered the restaurant — the first people inside since July 14.
“It still smells the same,” Marinda remarked with a smile.
Eddie seemed very emotional as he led us through the dining area and into the kitchen. Then he laughed as he noticed his answering machine in the back office.
“We have 51 messages.”
Eddie’s Uptown Grille, located at 20 Village Drive — two blocks north of Highway 160 on North Pagosa Boulevard — will be open for a “Grand Re-Opening” party tomorrow evening, Saturday, August 8, from 4:00pm until .. whenever? Eddie and his staff will be serving up a very simple menu — featuring Eddie’s well-loved tapas — and the bar will be open and featuring drink specials all evening.
 Live background music will be provided by the local band, Rock-ola.
A full opening is tentatively planned for next Tuesday, August 11.
Eddie has decided to change his restaurant hours, and to be open for dinner only — after doing both lunches and dinners during the restaurant’s first year.
He’s learned a few lessons about the restaurant business, apparently. Mostly, I suspect, he’s learned how much he loves his work. |