In Love with Coq au Vin
By: Dr. Ayman El Tarabishy
Corona turned Creative, a Small Business Success
Dr. Desarae and Cedric Fichepain. A French couple posted in Omaha, Nebraska, the USA, who have combined their financial and culinary skills to create an award-winning business for themselves and their Omaha community. Dr. Desarae, a Creighton University professor, and her husband, Cedric, a Franco-Italian executive chef, own the well-known, Le Voltaire, and its sister bakery. After 19 years of business, Le Voltaire was hit by COVID-19, thus restricting revenue flow and business operations. However, this ingenious and innovative couple has created a solution for their business and the staff that they employ.
Cedric remembered always wanting to be an entrepreneur. Fortunate to have a professional business planner as a wife, Cedric and Desarae opened Le Voltaire in central Omaha. Situated off the main road, in the middle- to the high-income neighborhood, the business was quick to succeed. However, not without effort, not only did the remote Amerian city need some reeducation involving their ideas of French cuisine, but soon after they opened Le Voltaire, 911 struck. The couple recalled some troubles, as the French government failed to respond in the way Americans wished, but like all successful entrepreneurs, they were able to use this opportunity to expand their restaurant. They worked to build customer trust by describing their sourcing of local products as well as the local staff that they employ.
When I asked what their secret was to account for their 19-year-old business, Cedric quickly answered that his secret is his team. The couple described how important it is for owners to realize that they can not do it alone. The number one priority is to have people you work well with, whom you can trust and to whom you delegate responsibilities. Cedric believes that if you can respect the person and help them as much as you can, they will respond in the same manner. Their second ingredient for success is customer service. After having good food, you need excellent customer service. Luckily for the Fichepains, their General Manager has been employed since their opening day. Other employees have stayed on for 10 to 15 years. The couple takes some of their staff to France every other year so that they can have a deeper understanding of French culture and cuisine to share with their customers. Their third secret is, in fact, generational. Cedric’s father always reminded him to keep his banker close. Thanks to this lesson, Cedric was prepared to respond to the consequences of COVID-19. The Fichepains were able to prepare their paperwork to access the government stimulus packages quickly. However, despite their quick reaction, they have still yet to receive any financial assistance.
After closing their doors on Saturday, March 14th, the Fichepains gave themselves two days to prepare for a reopening at their closeby bakery. Cedric configured the menu to provide about half of Le Voltaire’s menu in a takeaway format. Then using the bakery’s facilities, the restaurant was able to organize itself to generate enough revenue to keep paying the costs of both their bakery and Le Voltaire. The couple had had to be quite creative in their methods of continuing to engage their customers. In regards to the new menu Cedric and his chefs created, the kitchen started using their state-of-the-art French ovens to make pizzas, mac-n-cheese, and other types of comfort foods for this time of uncertainty. Their cleverness even realized an online wine tasting, which they perform twice a week. Customers can come to pick up their wines for the tasting ahead of time; then, the couple walks them through the tasting Wednesday and Thursday nights. The couple has capitalized on this digital movement. They advertised for their wine tastings, Easter meals for four, and specialty events through email blasts, using the platform Fishbowl, and by posting on Facebook. The Fichepains described how Facebook has proven to be a loyal platform, from which they can connect with their customers and continue their formidable customer service through this medium.
Despite having been accepted for one of their businesses in the first wave of loan reviews, Cedric and Deserae still described the great unknown surrounding loan forgiveness in the future, which is making them weary to their future expenses. Especially in reflecting on the transition back to integration, the Fichepains responded quite realistically in imagining the reopening of le Voltaire. Having half the seating that they usually do, they plan to continue using their bakery as a to-go station for its revenue source.
At the end of the webinar, Dr. Desarae and Cedric led us in a virtual cooking class, in which Cedric gave us his secrets to creating the perfect Coq au Vin. Firstly, since rooster is not a typical delicacy in Omaha, Cedric uses chicken. He begins by searing it with some flour, which helps to give some color to the meat. Either cooked in the oven or on the stovetop, Cedric switches white for red wine for his recipe. It uses easy-to-find ingredients, which he believes must be of high quality. His final two “secrets” for this masterpiece recipe are, first, to use “le fond” or the base juices that usually are left at the bottom of the pan untouched, to glaze the dish, and second, to always eat the meal the day after.
In her final comments, Dr. Deserae called all those passionate about entrepreneurship to do all that we can for SMEs. She advised SME owners and entrepreneurs themselves to be sure to protect themselves and their staff by heightening communication with their customers, understanding that “the more you communicate with your customers, the more comfortable they will be with supporting your business.” Thank you for your example of resilience, Dr. Deserae, and Chef Cedric. You have created an aspect of hope that pushes us to think collectively in a creative manner. These are frontline workers who are helping support us physically and financially. Please remember that your local small businesses are upholding your community.
Their website is at http://www.levoltaireomaha.com/
