Today we’d like to introduce you to DeeDee Trejo Rowlett.
Hi DeeDee, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Born and raised in Carlsbad, I have two grown beautiful children. Following personal and professional life changes, my mother asked me to join our family restaurant business, and I’ve been managing it with my brother and cousin.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not smooth … still rocky at times. Working with family can be a struggle especially coming from different careers and education. Cost of goods fluctuate a lot. Balancing a budget, Dealing with employees and customers are not always enjoyable situations. The pressure of running a family business that’s been part of our community since 1943 can feel overwhelming… Sometimes you just have to put your head to the grindstone and move forward. At the end of the day, my struggles are nothing compared to others so I try to keep gratitude, love and laughter at the ready. And my family is really great and supportive of me and my ideas.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My family’s business has been around since 1943 when my maternal grandparents moved to Carlsbad from Escondido. It was originally a neighborhood grocery store and we added the “deli” in 1985. They became the hub of the community and in some respects we still are even with all the changes in Carlsbad. We make everything home made and fresh No bags of already processed food. We shred our own cheese, chop our own vegetables, crack our own eggs and you can definitely taste the difference. We have vegan options as well. My brother, cousin and I are now 3rd generation managing the family business. It’s been a blessing to see the kids from local schools come in and before you know it, they are bringing their children in! So it is generational from both sides of the counter and it makes us proud that we have loyal and loving customers that support us. We are excited that we recently got our beer/wine license and have added a beautiful back patio to enjoy a meal and relax.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
What I have learned and still learning is to stay in a grateful space and to listen with an open heart. We see so many people on a daily basis that come from all sorts of situations, education, etc and that is what makes the world go around and we need to honor and respect those differences and not be “judgey”
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Lolas_deli_carlsbad
