The restaurant business is tough. It’s time consuming, it’s complicated, it’s hot, it’s filled with pressure, and there are countless unforeseen variables that can pop up at any moment.

I was a young, single, man with nothing to lose when I opened my first restaurant in 1987. I spent 90 hours a week in the kitchen for the first four years of operation. I had a girlfriend, but she was willing to put up with the long hours.

This business is even harder when there is a spouse at home— we call them restaurant widows— while a restaurant is just getting off the ground.

Michael and Stella Eastham might have figured a way around the typical time-family challenges that most new restaurateurs face. They live— and are raising their children— above their restaurant.

The Sycamore House in Bay St. Louis is a white-tablecloth restaurant, in a historic home, with an eclectic menu created by two graduates of the Culinary Institute of America. Michael from New York, and Stella from New Orleans, met while students at the CIA, opened the Sycamore House in November of 2002, and had just gotten the business on an even keel when Hurricane Katrina ripped through town changing their lives forever.

The two chefs and their six-week old son hung out in Atlanta in the immediate days after the storm, and returned to find the restaurant still standing. They were back to square one, except this time with

even more obstacles to overcome.

The challenges in the restaurant business are plentiful. It’s the only business I know in which there are more ways to lose money than there re ways to make money. The Easthams have not been without challenges— far from it. Their customer base dropped dramatically after the storm. New Orleanians with weekend homes— their core customer base— never returned. Most of the galleries and shops that drew crowds to downtown Bay St. Louis have yet to reopen.

They now have a daughter and face the daily challenges of raising a four-year old and a two-year old while operating a business, but the physical plant— a former bed and breakfast— makes it easier for the couple to spend quality time with their children as they are only one flight of stairs away if both are working the restaurant.

They alternate time with the children during operating hours, and when both are in the restaurant, a babysitter watches the children upstairs. Time after time, obstacle after obstacle, challenge on top of challenge, this young couple have taken on every hurdle that has been thrown in their way and made the best of it.

When the post-storm business required that the menu be scaled down, Michael— with a love for New York-style pizza— added pizza to the lineup. There wasn’t a sushi restaurant in town, so Stella can be found in the kitchen on Wednesday evenings rolling sushi.

The restaurant is quaint, with 86 seats including a bar and front porch. The menu is eclectic, heavy on seafood, and filled with updates on Coast classics and diverse offerings from lamb, Duck Confit Salad, curry, and all points in between.

The restaurant business is hard enough when all of the conditions are normal and running in your favor. It’s tougher when kids are involved, and almost impossible when Mother Nature wipes away your clientele and half of the town’s business community. But Michael and Stella Eastham are pressing forward.

The couple embodies everything that is good about the restaurant business. They are living the American dream. They are dedicated parents, devoted chefs, community activists, and are performing on a high level in their everyday operation.

The country’s best restaurateur, Danny Meyer, once told me “Business is problems, if you can’t handle problems, get out of business.” I would add to that: A successful business is problems well handled. The Eastams are taking every gut shot and uppercut that the restaurant business can dish out and staying in the ring to fight another day. Well done.



Robert St.John is an author, chef, restaurateur, and world-class eater. He is the author of seven books including the newly released New South Grilling. He can be reached at www.robertstjohn.com .





Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish-Spiked Bordelaise Sauce





3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme

1/4 cup Olive Oil

5 pounds Beef Tenderloin, cleaned

2 tsp kosher Salt

2 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground



Preheat oven to 400



Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs and chop the thyme.



Add the thyme to the oil and rub the outside of the beef tenderloin.

Sprinkle the tenderloin with the salt and pepper. Place a large heavy

duty skillet over high heat and once the skillet it very hot, sear the

tenderloin for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Place the tenderloin on a baking rack inside of a roasting pan, and

put it in the preheated oven. Roast until the internal temperature is

125 degrees (for medium rare), approximately 30-40 minutes.



Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes before

slicing and serving.





Horseradish-Spiked Bordelaise



2 Tbl Unsalted Butter

1/2 cup Yellow Onion, small dice

1/3 cup Carrot, peeled, small dice

1/4 cup Celery, small dice

2 tsp Garlic, minced

1/2 tsp Salt

2 Tbl Tomato Paste

1/2 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground

1 cup Dry Red Wine

1 Bay Leaf

1 quart Veal Stock (or rich beef stock)

3 Tbl Prepared Horseradish

1 tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves, chopped



Heat the butter in a two-quart saucepot over medium heat. Place the

onion, carrot, celery, garlic and salt in the heated pot and cook

until vegetables soften, approximately 5-6 minutes. Add the tomato

paste and black pepper, stir constantly and cook for 5-6 minutes.

Using a wire whisk, stir in the red wine and bay leaf. Simmer until

the wine has reduced by half. Add the veal stock and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer very slowly until reduced by

half, about an hour to an hour and a half. Adjust the seasoning and

hold warm until ready to serve. Stir in the horseradish and fresh

thyme just before serving.



To serve the tenderloin, slice the beef into 3/4 inch slices and

arrange on a serving platter. Pour half of the sauce over the beef and

place the remaining sauce in a gravy boat for those who wish to add

more.



Yield:

8-12 servings