A True Industry Leader, Ellen Yin

So it’s good to be back with you. Last week was pretty special being out at Fauquier County - horse country - letting the blood pressure drop as I left the city and drove out to Marshall. If you haven’t heard my chat with the amazing butcher boss babe, Amanda Luhowiak, owner of The Whole Ox — you need to — and take a scroll through insta to see all the deliciousness. NOW This week I do have another pretty incredible woman joining me. As many of you know, most of my family resides in Philadelphia. My brother, his wife and my dad are physicians up there, my sister is a lawyer and my cousins own restaurants. So needless to say, I am in Philly quite a bit and I can speak for my family and myself when I say we are huge fans of today’s guest, Ellen Yin. Ellen is founder and co-owner of High Street Hospitality Group (you know, a.kitchen + bar, Fork, High Street Restaurant & Bakery, High Street Hoagies and The Wonton Project oh and an a.kitchen + bar now in Washington Circle. I have a High Street Restaurant & Bakery story but before I bring Ellen on a bit about where I have been and what I have been doing:

How lucky am I to have snagged a cozy window seat at Pascual just days before Chefs Isabel Coss & Matt Conroy’s spot was crowned one of Eater’s Best New Restaurants in America?

• Guacamole & Tostadas (Pro-tip: Do NOT share the smoked papaya)
• Charred Eggplant 🍆 Tamale (my top pick of the night!) luscious and velvety
• Delicious Duck 🦆

Let’s get into Ellen!

My family loves Fork. We have celebrated birthdays and anniversaries there over the years. But! I was on a media trip to Philly when I had one of my all time favorite bites at High Street Restaurant and Bakery —> A pumpernickel bialy with white fish salad. Oh em gee — and I had the pleasure of meeting Ellen the fist time on the James Beard red carpet when I emceed for Hilton at the JBAwards 2023 right before she won her James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur in 2023 — To All those listening may I please introduce a true Industry Leader, author, award winner and a co-chair of Sisterly Love Collective - which we will get into -


Featured Guest:
Ellen Yin
Personal: https://www.instagram.com/therealellenyin
Business: https://www.instagram.com/highstreethospitality
https://www.instagram.com/a.kitchenandbardc



Featuring Nycci Nellis
https://www.instagram.com/nyccinellis/
https://www.thelistareyouonit.com/


Produced by Heartcast Mediahttp://www.heartcastmedia.com


Takeaways

• Overcoming Financial and Logistical Challenges
• Innovation and Adaptation Post-COVID
• Formation and Goals of Sisterly Love Collective
• Significant Collaborations and Partnerships
• Industry Reflection and Future Focus

Quotes

"Establish leadership pipelines for women and underrepresented groups, paving paths to leadership. Readiness breeds resilience, making challenges easier to conquer." - Ellen Yin

"During challenging times, women helping women became a necessity for survival”- Ellen Yin


Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
06:51 - Early Industry Experience: Finding Belonging
10:38 - Creating a Community-Centric Dining Space
13:42 - Partnered Restaurant Success: Right Place, Right Time
18:55 - Teamwork in Restaurant Ventures
21:20 - Success and Expansion: Building the Right Team
23:44 - Challenges of a Hard Project
27:05 - Chef Ownership and Retention
32:16 - Inspired Mental Health Change by a Quadriplegic's Experience
35:22 - Leadership Challenges at the Top
38:35 - Easier Startup with a New Business Model
41:45 - Peer-Recognized Success Responsibility
44:09 - Empowering Women for Industry Leadership
48:38 - Modern Rooms and Loyal Community
52:45 - Outro