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Visit Dallas: Can you share the story of this business - how it started and how it’s grown into what it is today?

Michelle Carpenter: I am Cajun-Japanese, born to a US Airman and Edoko homemaker in Tokyo. I was raised in a very delicious household with parents who really liked to cook. We had gumbo on the stove, crawfish on the patio, Japanese curry during the cool months, cold soba in the summer and smoked meats on the grill year round.

I am a formally-trained sushi chef. I opened Zen Sushi in the Bishop Arts in 2007 to honor my Japanese heritage on my mother’s side. In 2021, I decided that I needed to tell the story of my paternal side and show my supporters the other half of my story, that I grew up in Louisiana with a Cajun grandmother who was the ultimate homesteader who gardened, composted, pickled and jammed her harvests at the end of summer, who understood how to build flavors from anything she had. There is a resourceness and ingenuity that was innate in my Mammaw, Beatrice, that I’ve tried to replicate at Restaurant Beatrice.

Today, we have established Beatrice as a concept that is a leader in sustainability in the region. Our biggest supporters have followed our journey, watching us evolve and grow, tasted their way through our menu changes, and appreciate the variety of cultural events we produce.

Visit Dallas: What makes this business special or unique within its Dallas neighborhood?

Michelle Carpenter: We are pioneers. Restaurant Beatrice is the first restaurant in Texas to be B Corp Certified and the first small business in the region to release a greenhouse gas inventory, which is the first step for any organization to develop a climate action plan. A BIPOC-Minority-Woman owned and led concept in Oak Cliff set this as a template for others in our state. In this sense, we aren’t copying any one else or what other restaurants in other cities do. We blazed a trail for our community, city, and state.

As much as we can, Restaurant Beatrice makes almost everything from scratch: sauces, jams, jellies, pickles, breads,hot sauce, seasoning blends, sausages, and desserts. Most independent restaurants don’t have a pastry chef. Most pastry chefs work at hotels or at bakeries. We have one who makes our breads and desserts. This means our food has less preservatives and artificial flavors. That is how Beatrice Carpenter, my Cajun Mammaw, whom the restaurant is dedicated to, lived.

Visit Dallas: How would you describe the personality or energy of this place to someone who’s never visited before?

Michelle Carpenter: Louisiana gastronomy and hospitality without pretension. Everyone who wants to be included is included. True hospitality cannot be exclusionary.

Visit Dallas: What do you think keeps people coming back?

Michelle Carpenter: People can taste and feel intention. Folks who are from Louisiana have expectations because they assume we are replicating their culture. If it comes from someone’s childhood and story, if it represents someone’s ancestors, that food is authentic.

Visit Dallas: What role does this business play in the community around it?

Michelle Carpenter: Beatrice is a locally-grown concept. We are not transplants in the neighborhood. Most of my staff live in the neighborhood. Up to 70% of your purchase is redirected back into our local economy whereas only 40% of your spending is reinvested in the community if you support a corporate chain instead. The rest of the 30% goes to shareholders that don’t live in the area. Culture is protected and nourished in small businesses.

Visit Dallas: When someone chooses to support a local spot like yours, what does that support help make possible?

Michelle Carpenter: Our dinners are supporting a restaurant that isn’t dictated by convenience above all. Their support, in turn, helps feed and grow the intricacies and care found in our local food supply chain. These farmers are real people we know, whom we speak to on a regular basis. No one is face-less to us. They provide decent employment and conditions.

Additionally, supporting Restaurant Beatrice allows us to continue our ‘Women in Restaurants Leadership Program’ which provides leadership skills for folks who will soon inherit the Dallas culinary industry.

Visit Dallas: What’s a favorite story or customer moment that really captures what this business is all about?

Michelle Carpenter: We have had a few customers tell us they had low expectations when they came in for special events. They are surprised when the food reflects components of their heritage. You can taste authenticity. It’s in the technique, the presentation, and the approach. And in those moments, our diners feel seen. They are heard.

Many concepts focus on the celebrity or the story of a singular chef. While Restaurant Beatrice is chef-driven, and we source locally and adopt seasonal menu development, the key difference is that our diners feel visible in how we present the food that nourished them and was a part of their development.

Our events capture this feeling. Vietnamese-Americans feel seen at our Viet-Cajun dinners. New Orleans natives can taste the story of their people in our dishes. Women recognize their own journeys at our Women’s Gastronomy dinner, where we feature a menu of recipes and drinks, all crafted by women.

Visit Dallas: What do customers tend to love most - whether it’s a signature product, a standout experience, or the vibe of the space?

Michelle Carpenter: Our concept is cohesive. Our diners are transported to a fleur-de-lis covered dining room that feels like they stepped into Mammaw’s house in New Orleans. The menu reflects the treasures of the Gulf shoreline and the farms of the Louisiana countryside. During the summers, they can sit on our patio, peel crawfish, and drink cold beers. In the fall, they can feast on duck confit paired with a red Burgundy. Twice a year, diners can feast on Cochon de Lait dinner, where our rancher brings a pig raised by an FFA Champion to us, which showcases a Cajun tradition of a community pig roast. During Mardi season, we bring the most famous drinks of New Orleans to Dallas. You can have a Vieux Carre, an elevated Hand Grenade, or French 75 without having to travel to the Crescent City. Nothing can replace the magic of Nola, but this is a reputable alternative

Visit Dallas: In your view, what does this business add to the culture, creativity, flavor, or personality of the city?

Michelle Carpenter: The events at Restaurant Beatrice are unparalleled. What’s incredible is how each event fits into our mission because Cajun/Creole culture is so inclusive. It’s our neighboring state. Our Viet-Cajun Tasting Menus and our Women’s Gastronomy Dinner leave so many of our guests feeling elated, having enjoyed a flavorful, thoughtful meal and having walked away with more knowledge beyond the story of one chef. We work in tandem with our ranchers, our wine specialists, and folks within the culture to ensure integrity and respect.

Visit Dallas: If someone visited for the first time, what should they absolutely not miss?

Michelle Carpenter: The most dynamic dish that has had a big impact is our Gulf-Only Fresh Catch, which sources a fresh seafood straight out of the Gulf. It could be redfish, snapper, flounder. It rotates. We started this Gulf-Only program with our supplier. It supports a small fishing family out of Galveston. Today, restaurants up to Oklahoma buy from this program and now this fishing family has purchased a second boat to expand their business thanks to our diners. Not only does this program reduce carbon emissions, but it showcases the bounty of our region and those waters filled with flora and fauna that have fed millions of inhabitants for centuries.

Visit Dallas: What’s something people would be surprised to learn about this business or the team behind it?

Michelle Carpenter: People are always shocked that a half-Japanese woman sushi chef owns Beatrice. People can be more than one thing. A sushi chef can be an authority on Louisiana food because I am half Cajun and my family still lives in Louisiana.

Visit Dallas: How do you and your team aim to make people feel when they walk through your doors?

Michelle Carpenter: Two things: First, that quality food and hospitality, executed with intention. isn’t a luxury that requires gate-keeping. This is for everyone.

Second, that Restaurant Beatrice is not a replica or a trope of what someone thinks is Cajun/Creole culture. We are an authentic satellite representing the rich history of Louisiana and its people. Louisiana culture includes everyone: Indigenous Americans, the French, the Canadians, Germans, Italians, Spaniards, English, and Afro-Caribbean folks. In recent years, Vietnamese immigrants added another vocabulary of flavors, spices, and techniques to the food in South Louisiana. Louisiana offers the most flavor-rich cuisine in the world.

Visit Dallas: What’s on the horizon that you’re excited about, whether it’s a new idea, a seasonal offering, an expansion, or something simple you’re proud of?

Michelle Carpenter: We’re looking forward to advancing our offerings and events for Women’s History Month in March. Restaurant Beatrice piloted a Women in Restaurants Leadership Program with Dallas College, as we are women-owned and led. Our Women’s Gastronomy dinner last March was a hit for everyone involved and everyone who came. We hope to engage more powerful, inspiring women with each additional year.

Visit Dallas: Why do you think supporting local businesses is particularly meaningful here in Dallas?

Michelle Carpenter: Culture comes from localism. Every small business is emblematic of the decisions and values of a small business owner. That individuality is lost in national or multi-national chains that prize convenience and profitability above all. When you come into a small business, you know what is important to the operator – not just shareholder value. The best food, all over the world, comes from independent restaurants.

Restaurant Beatrice is a culinary culture driver in Dallas. Chefs dictate the gastronomic culture of their city. Food is culture. It represents our history, the people who shaped the city, its politics, and what it champions. The legends in our field can dictate the culture of a region or a nation.

Visit Dallas: What do you wish more people knew about this business?

Michelle Carpenter: That every employee in the service industry wants the diner to have a good experience. No one in the kitchen or the service team wants a diner to leave upset or unhappy. Accidents happen because humans are behind every step of this process. It’s a high stress industry so these mishaps are always unintentional.

And in that regard, the restaurant industry is one that AI can never replace. A vegetable grown by a farmer and prepared by a chef with care and delivered by a server who remembers your name and suggests a lovingly-made wine made by a fifth generation wine maker cannot be replaced by software. Analog things make life worthwhile. We stare at screens all day. Connecting with our loved ones over dinner can never be adequately substituted by a few screen taps or a search engine. We all desire to feel connected to one another. AI isn’t about connection. Dining out is experiential.

Visit Dallas: If you could share one message with someone deciding whether to shop, dine, or visit here, what would you want them to know?

Michelle Carpenter: Restaurant Beatrice is an opportunity for our diners to support our values to create a quality, authentic experience that takes into consideration every step of the supply chain, from our farmers and ranchers all the way to the waste. We divert 100% of our food waste from the landfill and turn this waste into compost for our farmer. Good food means that the ingredients are good and that the service is good. It also means that these quality ingredients provide a decent living for our farmers and their workers. And that this process has integrity. Good food isn’t good if everyone isn’t treated with decency along the way. Everyone means everyone: the employees, the chefs, the servers, the farmers, the suppliers, and the guests.

It is our honor and privilege to live our values.