BISTRO & WINES & COMMUNITY
A big THANK YOU and ten years of memories
Kia Ora everyone!
It is really early, still dark outside and minus a couple of degrees. I have spent few hours of the early morning searching through the hundreds of photos and videos from the past ten year. The most intense, amazing and full ten years of my life!
If you see white smoke coming out of the chimney of our restaurant, you know that it's true! We sold 😊 Exactly ten years after Sergiu and I plunged, with more unconsciousness than courage, into the most complicated industry possible. Knowing nothing about hospitality or the market we were to serve.
The dream of bringing a few Michelin stars to our beautiful neighbourhood was dashed shortly after signing the sale and purchase agreement. What followed was hard work.
Ten years of hard work, physical labor coupled with sustained mental effort, all amidst continuous culture shock. I learned not only to make coffee, to operate a cash register, a commercial dishwasher, a commercial oven, I vacuumed, washed and wiped glasses, carried furniture morning and evening, trays full of plates and glasses day after day. All accompanied by "Yes, Sir" and "With pleasure, Madam".
The business often brought me down to the ground and I experienced moments that drove me to the heights of despair. In the same time, I have danced like never before at our live music parties. Sergiu and I often danced more than our guests.
I am proud of the reputation we have built, I cried when people tearfully told us that we had made their visit with us an unforgettable experience, I enjoyed watching Vera gain confidence and professional experience working side by side with us.
“Purple is not the color of the neigbourhood" will stick in my mind as the moment when I realized the extent of the earthquake that Sergiu and I had generated in Christchurch's most conservative neighborhood when Jagz of Styx Mill turned into The Option Bistro & Wines.
"You destroyed our local cafe" was however soon replaced by "this place is unbelievable", "this is the way hospitality service should be done" or "you are an asset for our neighbourhood".
Sergiu and I have spent hundreds of evenings, after service, sitting at the tables of our guests with whom we have instantly struck up a conversation or a friendship. We met thousands of people, we often listened in fascination to their life stories, some of whom we remained friends with. All these people opened our minds and hearts, made us more understanding, more empathetic, showed us how not to judge or put labels.
We made friendships that we will always carry in our hearts, we have learned what true community spirit, real and unconditional support is all about.
I have tried, often unsuccessfully, to harmonize the relationship with the community and our loyal customers with the need for the business to still be profitable, and this has often made someone I am not proud of.
The Option Bistro & Wines has shown us every day who we are, what our limits are, how to overcome them only to find more.
I've learned more about myself in this decade than in the four before. I was not always flattered by the result. On the contrary, I was often ashamed of myself, my judgment, my behavior or my decisions. I lived for ten years on a merry-go-round of emotions, going from agony to ecstasy dozens of times during the same day.
I didn't come out of this experience any smarter, wiser or stronger. But I survived it, just as our marriage survived it, just as The Option Bistro & Wines survived a complicated time in a ruthless industry in a limited market. And I will always be grateful for all these years with all that they have brought!
A big thank you to my husband not only for his incredible efforts to make The Option Bistro & Wines a benchmark of professionalism and impeccable service for the entire industry, but most of all for putting up with me, supporting me and loving me unconditionally throughout all this time. I thank Vera who understood what it means to have dignity to work, but also professional ethics.
I also thank our colleagues, an impressive number along the way, but especially Jo who has been my guide through the jungle of continuous culture shock. Thank you, Jo, for answering all my questions, for listening and advising me when I was outraged or puzzled, when I was judgmental or run out of solutions.
Also, a huge thank you to all the guests who have supported and appreciated us unconditionally! It would be impossible for me to list even a small fraction here. Thank you also to those who have chosen not to come back to The Option Bistro & Wines. We have learned something from all of them.
Thanks to our dear friends in Christchurch on whose shoulders we often cried, who came evenings or days in a row and helped us carry trays, wash dishes and serve customers.
The Option Bistro & Wines has never been just a business, it was the beating heart of the Styx Mill community, a place where guests came to enjoy an experience, be it a coffee and scone reading the paper in the morning, a lunch witn friends, a cultural theme night, or a white table cloth dinner services with family. We have always strived to offer not only delicious food and good wines, but outstanding service and we have always treated our guests as royals!
I added as many memories as possible to this newsletter and I hope you will enjoy them! It’s ten years of our life and the Styx Mill Country Club life!
It is time for Sergiu and I to leave others to bring new energy and value to the best neighbourhood in Christchurch 😊 😜❤️
As of early September, one of the most city’s reputable hospitality brands and operators, Strawberry Fare, will come to Styx Mill!
https://www.strawberryfare.com/
As for our family, Vera is already in Europe pursuing a career in hospitality, while the two of us are still “recovering” ☺️ We will travel to Romania to spend some time with our extended family and friends. At this point, I have no idea what our future adventure would be, but I am looking forward to it! 😊
In the future, this newsletter may be my playground of memories from my New Zealand hospitality journey 🫣☺️
Thank you, everyone!
Sabina, Sergiu & The Option Bistro & Wines Team