INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

JL: What were your expectations when Sidecar opened, and how have you met or exceeded them?

BD: I’m very shocked by what’s happened. My expectations were just that we could pay the rent, really, and rent’s pretty low in Costa Mesa. Just so we could pay our bills. I really didn’t know that it would take off like it has.

JL: How did you decide on Santa Monica for your second location?

BD: We did a lot of looking, and it seems to have the demographic that’s sort of similar to Costa Mesa, with Brentwood in the back. Higher socioeconomic area. Our donuts are on the pricey side compared to some of the other downtown donuts. Families. A lot of young kids in the area. Schools. Businesses. It kind of had everything. We have to be careful. We can’t plop down in every single area and have people understand what we’re trying to do. I wanted people to be able to relate to what we’re doing.

JL: What’s possible for the Sidecar brand? What are the ambitions for you, Sumter and Chi-lin?

BD: We want to keep growing at a reasonable pace that we can handle. Keep them kind of close. Maybe not go nationwide yet. I want to keep the artisan feel, and there’s a lot of work involved, because we change the flavors every month. I want to be able to be able to continue to do that, so we have to grow slowly. I don’t want to give that up. I want to keep the quality up, obviously. I don’t know if we’ll come to a point where we say, “This isn’t possible to do the quality we want and grow this fast.” Then we’ll have to step back. It’s going to be a balancing act.

JL: What are the unique challenges, versus a restaurant, of working in a high-volume gourmet donut kitchen?

BD: The challenges are finding labor. And just the volume of product we’re going through in a small shop, keeping everything stocked.

JL: What does somebody have to be for you to hire them at Sidecar?

BD: Someone that’s just passionate and wants to do something well. It could be anything. If it’s a person who’s into woodworking, a good student, or just somebody who wants to do something well, that seems to be our best fit here. That cares about details.

JL: Who do you turn to when you need guidance, inspiration or advice?

BD: I have some older business friends that I turn to. As far as creative guidance: nature. I love the changes of seasons and what’s possible. What’s possible to do with eggnog and rhubarb in the spring. Or what’s possible to do with strawberries. I did an elderflower strawberry last spring. I like to keep it fresh that way, and seasonal.

JL: Where do you find these ingredients?

BD: I shop at a lot of farmers markets.

JL: Any farmers markets in particular?

BD: I love the here (in Santa Monica). I love going to San Diego. Fallbrook has a lot of farmers there I like to work with. I buy pomegranates from a guy in Fallbrook. I do a lot of research as far as that goes.

JL: What do you want to be known for as a person and as a chef?

BD: Someone who’s kind and caring, empathetic, maybe has some passion.

JL: And as a chef?

BD: Hospitality.