Conversations with Margot McCormack

Today we’d like to introduce you to Margot McCormack.

Hi Margot, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started cooking with my mother as a little girl. She cooked well, and I loved to eat. I never thought I would pursue a culinary career. To pay for an off-campus apartment in college, I got a job in a restaurant. It was a much different experience than cooking with my mother, but after a few months, I came to appreciate the organization and the systems a professional kitchen demanded. And I still needed to pay for that apartment. I stayed on moving up from my lowly salad position to become the expediter. But as my studies concluded, I thought my kitchen days were over. But after moving back home, I rejected the more traditional jobs and took a position in an independent restaurant. Then I was hooked. I enrolled at the CIA, moved to NYC, where I worked for many years in various positions, and then moved back to Nashville to open my restaurant five years later. We just celebrated our 21st anniversary.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being a woman in a male-dominated profession has always been a hurdle. But being athletic and a tomboy, it wasn’t difficult to pull my weight on the line. My standards have always been lofty. However, as a boss, I have often been labeled a bitch. I am not for everyone, and neither is my restaurant. I am also a lesbian. I was fired once, and while my sexuality wasn’t blamed for the termination, everyone knew otherwise. So my politics are unavoidable.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I own Margot Cafe and Bar in East Nashville. We are a French-inspired restaurant with a Southern influence. Our menu changes every day. It is fresh, seasonal, locally grown, and sustainable. We are known for our superior sourcing from our local purveyors and farmers. Our potato chips can represent the simplicity of our food with aioli- a must-have for a starter. I am proud of the work-family that has helped me realize my dreams over the last 21 years. I believe in treating people in our industry differently than how I was treated coming up through the ranks, by offering complimentary meals, health insurance, bonuses, and other benefits set me apart. Doing our part for the world is also a mission. Composting and recycling are a natural part of our day.

What do you think about luck?
I feel lucky every single day. We opened the restaurant at a pretty perfect time. East Nashville had been a cast-off neighborhood since the wealthy folks moved on to Green Hills and Bellemeade. Over the years, Nashville continued to put all its unmentionables across the river so no one could see. Public housing, services, a jail, homeless people, and PCS metal, But then there was the tornado of 1998 and an influx of insurance money and interest. Then we got a professional football team whose stadium was just 5 blocks from the restaurant. Football fan or not, everyone knew where the stadium was. And that became our point of reference when guiding Nashville to our front door. I have also had many personal experiences that some may have caved under, but they made me stronger and the person I am today.