An Interview With Martita Mestey
You can’t manage everyone the same and expect to get the same results. As a former Marine, I have a certain way about myself and had to learn the hard way that you can’t talk to everyone like a drill instructor.
As a part of our series about creating a successful career in theatre, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Dom Ruggiero.
Dom Ruggiero is the Founder & CEO of Cast Iron Concepts, a Scottsdale-based Hospitality Group. Dom opened Hush Public House in 2019, TVG Scottsdale in 2021, Cast Iron Concepts launched in 2022, and Fire at Will is opening in 2022. Dom’s restaurants emphasize locally sourced produce, pastuer-razed meats,and maintain partnerships with select vineyards and breweries, amongst other unique characteristics.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know’ you a bit. Can you share with our readers a story about what inspired you to become a restaurateur?
I grew up in a big family that loved to cook. Both my parents as well as my grandparents were all great cooks in their own right. I love how food can bring people together. Nothing is better than seeing the look on someone’s face after they’ve taken a bite of something delicious that you’ve prepared for them.
Do you have a specific type of food that you focus on? What was it that first drew you to cooking that type of food? Can you share a story about that with us?
I have a pretty eclectic style of cooking as I like to draw inspiration from my many global travels. I will say though that growing up in an Italian American family my first love is Italian food. I remember going over to my grandmother’s house on Sundays for “Sunday Gravy” or as we just called it “Sauce”. It was a rich tomato sauce that would braise meatballs, sausage, pork neck bones, pork shoulder and braciola for hours. You could smell it down the block.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you became a restaurateur? What was the lesson or take away you took out of that story?
When we first opened Hush Public House, my mother snuck in a framed modeling headshot of me from 6 years old and hung it up in the lady’s restroom. I didn’t realize it until I had some staff come out of the bathroom laughing at me. When we opened TVG Tap Room, my entire staff at Hush put together a bunch of picture frames with their baby pictures as a gift and they hang in the bar’s bathrooms.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? How did you overcome this obstacle?
I’m sure like many other chefs and restauranteurs, Covid was a scary time for our industry. We had only been open for a year, decided to expand our space to keep up with our demand only to be shut down due to the pandemic a month later. We immediately went into penny pinching mode. Luckily we were able to weather the storm, but it definitely got scary a few times over then next year plus.
In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that customers are crazy about?
When trying to conceptualize a new dish, I first decide on a main ingredient and then try to add other ingredients that will compliment that ingredient while hitting different notes of texture, sweetness, acid and salt to end with a balanced dish.
Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal for you’?
It really depends on my mood, but I’d never say no to a big bowl of pasta.
Where does your inspiration for creating come from? Is there something that you turn to for a daily creativity boost?
I draw a lot of my inspiration from traveling as well as dining out and enjoying meals from fellow chefs.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? What impact do you think this will have?
We are opening a new restaurant this fall called Fire At Will. This will be a totally new concept with a fun “New American” menu, craft cocktails and local beer list. This will be our third concept under our new hospitality group “Cast Iron Concepts”.
What advice would you give to other restaurateurs to thrive and avoid burnout?
The best advise I could give is to save your money and to treat your staff well. They are the ones that truly run your business. If they are happy and feel valued, it will show up in across your business a whole.
Thank you for all that. Now we are ready for the main question of the interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started as a Restaurateur” and why?
1. Pick your partners based on your working relationship, not personal or financial. I think that one is self-explanatory.
2. Have a clear-cut operating agreement that defines roles and expectations.
3. Learn how to read a P&L and understand where your money is going.
4. Get used to doing things outside your normal scope of work. I spend more time fixing furniture, painting, fixing toilets, coding invoices and doing clerical work. I hardly cook anymore.
5. You can’t manage everyone the same and expect to get the same results. As a former Marine, I have a certain way about myself and had to learn the hard way that you can’t talk to everyone like a drill instructor.
What’s the one dish people have to try if they visit your establishment?
Hands down the “Italian Beef” at Hush. Braised Oxtail, Smoked Provolone, Brioche, Giardiniera and Oxtail Jus. Its been voted one of the best dishes in Phoenix.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would really love to see the wage gap between front of the house employees and back of the house employees shrink. Everyone deserves to make a living wage, especially for how hard everyone works in the restaurant industry.
Thank you so much for these insights. This was very inspirational!
Dom Ruggiero Of Cast Iron Concepts: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restaurateur was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.