Friends of Tabletop Restaurant Edition: Simone Lawson and Noelle Saleh from Sassool Cafe
Last year, we started a monthly series highlighting the many social influencers and bloggers who have become not only our colleagues, but our friends throughout our journey with Tabletop Media Group. Well, we recently decided to include clients and people in the restaurant community with a new series called: Friends of Tabletop, Restaurant Edition. We hope for this new series to highlight folks that we admire and love working with + give a little peek into their world and background.
With that being said, we’d love to introduce our December features, Simone Lawson and Simone Saleh from Sassool Cafe! Check out our festive Q&A with them.
Photo: Stacey Sprenz Photography
Tell us about your position at Sassool.
Noelle: I run the Raleigh location as well as oversee the managers at the Cary location.
Simone: I am the Marketing and Catering Director for both restaurants. I am in charge of written and digital communication in-store and on social media. I am in charge of special events and product promotions. I manage the online ordering system, and large catering orders such as weddings.
What do you love about working in the Triangle?
Noelle: I love the triangle because there is always something to do. Even during the pandemic, you can find somewhere to go hiking or plenty of other activities to enjoy outside. There is so much beauty to be found right here where we live.
Simone: I love working in the Triangle because I am a Raleigh native and I have seen the amount of growth that the area has had in the past decade. The food culture has become more robust, and the attractions have increased. I feel proud to be a restaurant owner in the Triangle because the Triangle is becoming a "hot spot" for tourists and families to relocate. Having been an original of the area makes me that much more proud. This is the area my dad immigrated to from Lebanon in 1976, and we've been able to plant our roots and build our legacy in the very same area.
What's your favorite holiday tradition?
Noelle: We have always celebrated Christmas growing up, but this is the first year that I am getting my own Christmas tree. With the world slowing down it makes me want to create my own traditions at home. I think 2020 has given us an opportunity to focus on what really matters. Which is family and close relationship. Creating traditions with the ones you love the most is so fulfilling.
Simone: My favorite holiday tradition is playing games on Christmas Eve. I love the energy that my big family produces when we are all together. I am also very competitive, so whether it's trivia, or a blind drawing game, a ball toss game or a board game, I always love playing as the big group. We end up laughing until we are crying--every single time.
Do you have a favorite fun/crazy holiday story you'd like to share?
Noelle: Simone is much better at telling stories :)
Simone: When we were younger (maybe 15 years ago), my sister Gabi and I dressed up as elves for a church Christmas Party. Three years ago, before Christmas Day, we found those costumes and decided to give them another go. On Christmas we surprised everyone in our costumes and were the ones to distribute gifts to all members of the family. It's the funny little moments that I share with my family members that bring me so much joy and lasting memories. And since that holiday a few years ago, we've ALL started dressing up for most of the occasions...assigning some kind of fun theme to every birthday and holiday that we celebrate together.
Simone and her husband Tobey.
What from Sassool will you be bringing to your holiday get togethers this year?
Noelle: I am bringing the cheeseboard created by Better with Ju. We have loved collaborating with her and offering the cheeseboards she designed using products from Sassool.
Simone: Both of our hummus as well as baba ghanouj with pita bread will be making it from Sassool to our holiday table, as well as a cheese board made from items in our market section.
Favorite holiday decoration?
Noelle: My black Christmas tree with silver sparkly ornaments.
Simone: My favorite holiday decoration would be the glowing light balls that hang in tall trees. They seem to float when it's dark outside. It looks magical.
Holiday bar or coffee order?
Noelle: I love hot chocolate. With the weather getting colder it’s the perfect drink to warm you up. I either make it at home or get a mocha from the coffee shop. My favorite holiday drink is apple cider with whiskey or spiced rum.
Simone: Peppermint Mocha all the way. A similar drink has made it to our holiday gatherings...Hot cocoa with Peppermint Schnapps added...this is my absolute favorite holiday "cocktail"
What other restaurants in the Triangle do you like visiting this time of year?
Noelle: I don’t have specific restaurants that I like to support during the holidays. But my all time favorites are Alpaca, Thai House, Pho Far East, Fiction Kitchen and Curry House. They are all local and family owned like my own restaurant. With the most amazing food!
Simone: Some of my favorite restaurants would be Bar Taco, Sushi Iwa, Alpaca (for a quick stop) and Kahlovera (food truck), Whiskey Kitchen, Scratch (in Apex). This list doesn't change during other times of the year...I stay pretty constant regardless of the season lol
What's the most useful lesson you've learned from being in the restaurant industry?
Noelle: You have to roll with the punches. Be flexible and ready for anything. Stress can be abundant in the restaurant world. Things are ever changing and sometimes it feels like you are putting out fires everyday. You can’t always control things in life, but you can control how you react to them. You can choose to freak out or you can choose to keep your cool. Working in the restaurant has made me a better and more capable person. Not only at work, but in my everyday life.
Simone: The most useful lesson I've learned in the restaurant industry is that giving the customer delicious food is the bare minimum. In order to stand out for your guests and have them keep coming back, it is so important to give them a complete experience when they visit the restaurant. Whether it's a cultural lesson, the feeling of attachment and connection, a piece of entertainment (maybe showing them the food being prepared, offering cooking demos, etc...), or the use of innovation and technology...the customer should walk out of the restaurant knowing exactly why they chose that restaurant for their meal...and also planning the next time they will come back for another meal. This is what the mission of successful restaurants are. This is what restaurants have to do in order to stand out and thrive.
Who impacted you the most in your career?
Noelle: My inspiration has always been my dad. Growing up I watched him work so hard to make a future for his family. It was love put into action. He has sacrificed his whole life to make sure that his kids can have a better one. When I was a kid and going to work for him. It was fun to make some money but it was also really fun to work beside him and spend time with him. I never lost that feeling. Working with him and my mom and sister is so rewarding. We rely on each other. We compliment each other. And all of us are now building that future for our family together.
Simone: My father has impacted me the most in my career. My dad has worked harder than anyone I know for about 40 years straight. He is persistent on producing a high standard of everything--food, service, display. I've worked with him since I was about 6 years old (at that age, I'd go in on the weekends to try to help with anything that I could), and his passion for hospitality and hard work inspired me to never settle for less than best. To this day, I work for smiles...if I am helping a customer or working with a catering client and at the end of our interaction, they feel completely at ease and taken care of...I am satisfied with the service I gave them. If they feel more connected to my family's story and restaurant by the end of our interaction, it gives me joy that will power the rest of my day. I get this directly from my dad. I learned a whole lot of strategy, marketing and finance from getting my MBA, but I never could have learned work ethic and delivering the WOW factor from school...that is all my dad.
