Turning Tables is a Culinary Experience in Diversity and Equity

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At first glance, Turning Tables is a restaurant—a place where flavors from diverse backgrounds come together in harmony, tantalizing taste buds and creating a unique culinary experience. Dig deeper and you’ll quickly discover that Turning Tables is more than just a restaurant; it's a symbol of hope and transformation for aspiring food entrepreneurs from all backgrounds.According to its fact sheet, Turning Tables is a culinary experience that focuses on equity, community, and diversity in restaurant industry standards. Housed in Milwaukee’s Turner Hall, this innovative institution relies on three pillars for success:

  1. Teaching kitchen program—All program participants are paid a living wage as they work through the apprenticeship program and receive opportunities for personal and professional development, in-house support, and built-in marketing. Graduates continue to receive support and on-site training with the intention of creating a community of restaurants that operate with cultural and community standards reinforced by an annual auditing process.
  2. Tavern and eatery—A place in the heart of Milwaukee for guests to learn, grow, and experience a continually evolving restaurant with staple favorites influenced by the community.
  3. Diverse Dining—Programming space for people of different backgrounds and cultures to come together to remove barriers, engage in meaningful conversation, and foster togetherness through food, fun, and fellowship.

A Culinary Revolution is Underway

Emerald Mills, the founder and driving force behind Turning Tables, is not your typical restaurateur. She has a passion for diversity, equity, and community engagement. In a recent conversation, we talked about the story behind her organization and the profound impact it's making on the lives of countless individuals seeking to break barriers in the food industry.

What inspired you to create Turning Tables? What personal values or beliefs drive this initiative?

Turning Tables was inspired by seeing the hard work and struggle of my husband, and other food-based entrepreneurs, through a consulting job with Upstart Kitchen. Understanding the statistics and lack of diversity in ownership ignited my passion to want to help bring more diversity and equity to the industry.

How do you see the restaurant and teaching kitchen working together to inspire aspiring food entrepreneurs?

Our Incubator Kitchen Entrepreneur Program (IKEP) and in-house residency help food-based entrepreneurs get the training and experience needed to be successful in their own ventures. While getting first-hand knowledge of everything from business operations to managing inventory, they also get to fully test their concepts and improve their skills without the risk and frustration of doing it alone. This same type of experience helped me to get closely acquainted with the industry and become more relatable and knowledgeable to those we serve.

Becoming a recognized visionary hasn’t been without challenges. What stands out the most during the setup of Turning Tables? What about since it's been operational? Can you elaborate on significant obstacles and how you turned them into growth lessons?

Lack of funding, like many other minority owners, was definitely our struggle. Our program/venture was underfunded, so my husband and I had to delay hiring desired candidates and carry the bulk of the responsibilities ourselves to get the doors open.

How does Turning Tables create an environment where aspiring entrepreneurs can collaborate, learn from one another, and receive mentorship beyond the training program?

Every food-based entrepreneur brings unique skills and knowledge to the table. We promote collaboration and community from start to finish in our online course, residency, and beyond. When a participant completes this program, we expect that they will be able to operate their own business; however, our support doesn’t end at this point. We will pair each entrepreneur with a restaurant coach and meet regularly to navigate any challenges and review their operational and growth plans. We also allow former participants to return as consultants and instructors.

Is it possible to track lasting success? How?

We can track success through several methods: increased revenue for the food-based entrepreneurs, starting and staying open, and the number of staff for each company.

As Turning Tables enters year two, what are your long-term aspirations for the initiative? How do you hope it will contribute not only to the culinary landscape of Milwaukee but also to broader conversations about diversity, equity, and community engagement?

My long-term aspiration for this initiative is to make a direct impact on the number of minority restaurateurs, which was last recorded at only 2% in Wisconsin. I want Turning Tables to become a place where people of diverse backgrounds eat, gather, and do business together. We have a fully operational restaurant and event space that seats 200.

Grand Re-Opening Announcement

The excitement is building as Turning Tables gears up for its grand re-opening. Emerald and her husband will showcase their new operations manager, present exciting new menus, and unveil their team on Saturday, September 23, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. as part of Doors Open. There will be a cocktail tasting at 5 p.m.; reservations officially begin at 6 p.m.To learn more about Turning Tables visit turningtablesmke.com.