06/08/2026
Storytime: a dream 11 years in the making! It's Owen's second official day at work.
Almost since we opened Owen and his dad visited us every Sunday for breakfast. Owen's infectious energy and awesomeness immediately drew us in.
Back then we used a paper waitlist and Nicole worked the door every weekend. Curious about everything, Nicole engaged it and started teaching him how it worked. Over time, he started taking down names, quoting wait times, and eventually started walking guests to tables while he was waiting for a table for him and his dad to become available.
We gave him a Valley Cafe shirt to wear. He was thrilled and declared, "I am in training." "One day I will work at Valley Cafe." He kept growing so we kept replacing his shirt!
Fast forward, Owen enrolled in the Four Cities Compact for Culinary Arts. This past school year he interned with us for 2.5 hours a day as part of his work based learning.
But yesterday! Yesterday, he started his first day as an official Valley Cafe staff member! Soon he'll be receiving his first Valley Cafe paycheck too.
The "egg cracking master" is hard at work today on day two. We are thrilled to be part of his journey. "Oh yeah!"