Home Sweet Almost Home – The DePauw

In 1990, 32 a long time ago, Gail Smith and a friend determined to start out a tea space that was only open up for lunch in Greencastle, IN. She served rooster salad sandwiches, broccoli cheddar soup, and handmade desserts which are all however on the menu. Because then, Smith made a decision to increase the eating choices to open on much more days and at supper time as nicely which is how Virtually Property turned the restaurant that the Greencastle local community is aware these days. 

In 2008, Smith was in a position to buy the complete constructing the restaurant is now in and make the Swizzle Adhere Bar as properly. Moreover possessing Almost House, Smith started out Very first Friday, an occasion that requires location in downtown Greencastle that begins the initial Friday of Could and goes all the way through to the initial Friday of Oct. She also started out the Greencastle Tunes Fest. “I’m pretty significantly the model you know,  I am the experience of the enterprise and people today know me and I’ve accomplished a large amount for downtown,” Smith reported. 

However, Initially Friday and the Greencastle New music Fest have been taken around by Principal Road Greencastle and Just about Property stays Smith’s priority. “But you know my target is to make sure that Nearly House is always right here,” Smith stated. 

Alongside Smith is her Kitchen Manager, Chef Liz. Liz has been close to Almost House for 15 yrs. She was qualified regionally as a chef and then went to Location 30 to go as a result of their culinary plan in which she graduated in 2003. Smith mentioned, “and now she’s come back again, 15 many years afterwards and she’s my major human being. She does it all. I depend on her a good deal.” 

Chef Liz enjoys the relationships she has been equipped to make with people today in the Greencastle local community as properly as the DePauw community. “You make associations right here too with regional people that you see each individual working day or just about every weekend, but then DePauw students as nicely. It really is very good for us to have individuals relationships with you guys, you know, catering or nearly anything like that. That is what I like about below is it really is all regional. You satisfy lots of good men and women,” Chef Liz said. 

1 factor about Practically Property that makes it unique is its means to sustain its restaurant for 32 a long time. “you know we’ve obtained a loyal subsequent. We’ve had people today that satisfy listed here, they’re coming throughout the country and they meet up with right here. It is really just 1 of individuals locations exactly where you stroll in and you sense like you happen to be practically household you know, it’s not you know, even with our servers, you know, I try out and prepare them. It truly is not about the food stuff as much. It is really about the hospitality,” Smith mentioned. 

Practically Residence is also a restaurant to convey people collectively. It is not so much about the food items as it’s about relationships and paying out time with people today. “We want to have that practically home family you know ambiance. And it’s also exclusive for the reason that I have by no means labored almost certainly was this kind of a potent workers and a personnel which is mainly females that I preferred. I actually like that,” Chef Liz claimed. 

As far as the title goes for the restaurant, Smith and her close friend just stumbled on it. “We have been just thumbing by way of magazines and we turn the webpage and there was this subtitle that stated just about house and we each looked at it and explained which is it and we even now have that journal,” Smith said. 

Together with Chef Liz, is Smith’s early morning supervisor, Morgan Allen. Allen begun doing the job for Virtually Property three many years back as a hostess, began serving whole-time two several years back, and is now the morning supervisor and allows out with catering and the night shift. “When I 1st started out I was a extremely shy and a reserved man or woman. I failed to speak at all hardly. I would say that the persons almost residence are just so remarkable. The staffing is so amazing. Considering that doing the job below I have truly stepped out of my shell a ton,”  Allen claimed. 

Allen genuinely seems to be up to Smith and refers to her as her mentor. “I’ve uncovered a large amount through Gail. I have uncovered how to be a truly superior manager via her. She’s so intelligent and so wise. I just simply cannot thank her more than enough for how significantly she’s finished for me and how a lot I’ve developed due to the fact she commenced listed here,” Allen stated.