Welcome Emily Abernathy
We’re thrilled to welcome Emily Abernathy as the new General Manager at Jettie Rae’s!
Before we tell you more about Emily, we must give you a little background on Savoy, the first restaurant owned by Eric Scheffer.
Savoy, opened in Asheville in 2000, was an instant success and widely recognized as one of the nation's premier fine dining restaurants. Imagine crisp white tablecloths, dim lighting, and incredibly impressive food and wine selections. Savoy was truly elegant and extraordinary.
As a college student, Emily began working at Savoy which she describes as a professional environment where people took their service and their craft very seriously. As a server, you had to prove your worth, know the menu, and actively learn the wine list before being given the opportunity to be put on the floor. It was highly competitive, but Emily worked her way up and eventually became a manager. She was part of the A-Team that helped keep the restaurant great. She remembers her time there fondly.
“I cut my teeth at Savoy. What I learned there has served me for the rest of my career, I’ve found it invaluable. It’s still the best job I’ve ever had. The magic was definitely happening, it was great. Savoy put Asheville on the map as a dining destination. We had something special and we knew it.”
During the economic downturn of the late 2000s, Eric Scheffer saw his community suffering and chose to close Savoy and reopen it as the comforting and affordable restaurant you know and love today as Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian. Emily helped open Vinnie’s and hire the staff and managers before moving on to Corner Kitchen where she worked for the next several years.
In 2016, Emily and her partner created Chupacabra Latin Café, a relaxed, local favorite which offered a chef-driven menu with flavorful dishes and fresh ingredients. The restaurant won top three for the Best Latin food in Asheville for an impressive 4 of the 6 years it was open. In 2022, the restaurant closed and Emily, who has a master’s degree in teaching secondary English, pivoted from her hospitality career to begin teaching 11th grade English and Journalism.
Emily never really left hospitality though; she worked part-time in restaurants all through teaching and even worked briefly at Jettie Rae’s as a server. After 2 ½ years of dedication at Enka High, she felt the call back to hospitality full-time and left her teaching position to pursue other opportunities. Not long after, we warmly welcomed her to our team.
“I worked at Jettie Rae’s as a server, I knew the quality of food, the integrity of the business, and I knew the staff environment was a great fit. For me, this feels like coming home. I’m exactly where I want to be, doing exactly what I want to be doing.”
As for teaching, those skills have easily transferred with her new position where she has been helping to grow and develop staff knowledge. Emily is uniquely qualified to blend hospitality with teaching and learning, and creating a culture that values honing the craft.
“Learning is learning, and where it starts is inspiration. Leading by example and creating opportunities. You can’t just say sell wine, you have to crack a bottle and teach people how to taste. You can’t demand that people get excited, you’ve got to be excited first. If you’re not invested nobody’s going to follow you. It’s part of leadership.”
Emily’s list of talents goes on - She is a mother of two, has been on Carolina Kitchen several times, and has also competed in Guy’s Grocery Games on The Food Network and won. 👏
Next time you stop by Jettie Rae’s, make sure you say hi to Emily and help us welcome her to the team!
