Today we’d like to introduce you to Frederik Selchau and Rashi Wahidi.
Hi Frederik and Rashi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
We each bring decades of experience working in hospitality in Europe and in the US as a chef (Rashi) and service director (Frederik). We met 13 years ago when we were working together on high-end catering and restaurants in the San Diego area, and it didn’t take long for us to know that we wanted to go into business together. Our concept and how we envisioned it evolved over the years, but at its core, it has always been based on a simple recipe: high-quality food, a welcoming environment, and exceptional service.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Most people who have opened a restaurant would probably say that the process never goes as smoothly as they planned. In our case, the building process took more than twice as long as we had expected. We took over a building that was 120 years old and had been abandoned for years and converted an existing bakery kitchen and retail space into a full-scale restaurant kitchen and dining room. On top of the work involved in converting and modernizing the facility, we had to be respectful of the history of the building and what it represents to the community in every building decision we made. And we took extra steps to include the community where we could in the process. We worked with the Lemon Grove Historical Society to obtain photography of the building over time and the Busy Bee Garden Co-op- a group of local gardeners – to help us create an outside space that was welcoming and environmentally responsible. The excitement of the community has been encouraging. And the extra work we put into including community members in the process has paid off—it’s a space that locals are excited about and feel ownership in because many of them helped to make it happen.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We offer delicious European and American comfort food in an inviting space in the historic heart of Lemon Grove. Our menu has something for everyone, with rotating flavors that reflect the seasons. We also have Lemon Grove’s largest selection of microbrews, which you can enjoy in our new beer and wine garden, an abundant green space with vegetables, herbs, succulents, and—of course—lemon and other citrus trees.
It is important to us that the dining experience be accessible and inclusive for everyone. We don’t focus on the frills, trendy décor, or themed experiences that a lot of other restaurants do because we don’t want them to distract from the experience of high-quality food and service. And we aim to be conscientious with our prices, offering the top quality of foods that you might typically only find in certain parts of the city and doing it at reasonable prices while maintaining competitive compensation for our team.
We are proud of the consistency we’ve been able to achieve already in the quality of our service and food. This is apparent in the reactions of customers whose faces light up with their first bite of food and who come back again with their friends for more. It is reflected in the positive reviews and online posts about us. And it feels extremely validating that so many community members from Lemon Grove and eastern San Diego are so excited about us. It really feels like we’ve filled a gap in the culinary scene in this part of the county.
We are also proud that through all the different trials and challenges of opening this business, we have never let setbacks affect our commitment to each other and fulfilling our vision.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is happy guests, motivated employees, and maintaining a positive outlook on our restaurant business and its potential for growth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://grovebistro.com/
- Instagram: @lemongrovebistro
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LemonGroveBistro
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lemon-grove-bistro-lemon-grove
- Other: https://www.opentable.com/r/lemon-grove-bistro-lemon-grove
Image Credits
Dayley Photography
