Off the Cuff with John Inserra

As a jack of all trades at our Restaurant Support Center, Monika’s natural sensibility to pave her own path, one diverse brick at a time, has enabled her to take advantage of gaining experience across several different departments within CH. In a short time, learning with every step,  Monika has provided support to our tasting room experience, our member & guest service call center, as well as our retail and marketing departmen...

I had a chance to sit with Rebecca during our recent Downers Grove Cooper’s Hawk opening for a very rewarding conversation. All that Rebecca has accomplished over her 4 years at CH Brookfield can be specifically attributed to her ability to take initiative, to trust her intuition and to not be afraid of making mistakes. I am excited to share her unique outlook on life and her positive approach to her growing role within our organiz...

I am excited to share Christina’s story and how her experiences with CH all started because she was simply looking for a career to help others. We are fortunate that she chose CH as her personal growth platform because over these past 5 years, Christina has taken advantage of every opportunity available, helping her develop into one of our key office manager leaders and trainers; none of which would have been possible if it was not...

Bryce learned to take initiative early on in his career in order to satisfy his hunger for knowledge, experience and growth. He played Elite Junior Hockey growing up and discovered that there was way more to life than sitting around playing video games. At a very young age, he fell in love with the “heat” of the kitchen and ventured down a culinary path just like skating down an ice rink, embracing the curves, the struggles, and th...

Over the last two years, Suzette has been on a constant growth curve at Cooper’s Hawk, following her ever-evolving career dreams. Bravely, there has not been a challenge encountered along the way that she was not willing to face and conquer, having the courage to take risks and overcome many obstacles. This attitude in taking initiative has lead her recently to her first management role in Virginia Beach and I am excited to share h...

As a lifelong restaurant apprentice and now 12-year industry “student,” including the last 5 years with Cooper’s Hawk, Brandon is motivated daily to take initiative through his genuine love for learning. Brandon chooses NOT to switch his love “on and off” each day, but instead incorporates the lessons from each day at work into everything he stands for outside of work. Brandon shares how he takes the initiative to simply replace an...

Season 3 of Off the Cuff with John Inserra dives deep into the power of taking initiative in life, personally and professionally. Throughout this new season, John shares his personal thoughts on how important the principle of taking initiative is to the continued growth of Cooper’s Hawk. Cooper’s Hawk was built upon the shoulders of Tim McEnery’s self-starting energy which should be, by itself, a daily reminder to focus on going th...

As we bring Season 2 of Off the Cuff to its end, I had the distinct pleasure to sit down in conversation with Tim. Even with his intense schedule, Tim was fully present, locked in, and fully engaged, sharing a few thoughts about his life-to-date philosophy, including the evolution of our special culture, the power of hospitality, and how deeply meaningful his persistence has been along the way in building our iconic brand. To no su...

Like many of us, Brian fell in love with the restaurant business while earning college spending money. He brought 13 years of service and hospitality experience as an opening team member to our new CH location in New Lenox. Over the past 6 months, he has found a home with Cooper’s Hawk, taking on the very first LRT role in addition to his server responsibilities. I really enjoyed this conversation centered around how the CH culture...

A 7-year CH veteran, Chris started as a server in South Barrington before moving into a leadership role quickly thereafter. Chris opened our restaurants in Ashburn, Oak Park and New Lenox and is currently a Senior Restaurant Manager back in South Barrington, building strong TM and Guest relationships along the way. I am excited to share a small part of Chris’ story, including his inspiring outlook through statements like, “(At CH) ...

I had a chance to catch up with Shawn at this home restaurant in Town & Country earlier this year to talk hospitality and culture. Shawn started in the kitchen at 13 years of age and has spent the last 3 years of his career with CH, currently a Senior Kitchen Manager at CHTC. As he masters the technical skills required to be successful in our kitchens, Shawn has also fully embraced his leadership role, walking his talk every da...

Matty joined Cooper’s Hawk 5 years ago as an opening team member in the bar for our Waterford Lakes location and has grown into his current role as the private event manager. I recently caught up with Matty at his home restaurant for this conversation and I'm thrilled to share his story of how his decision to join Cooper’s Hawk was truly life changing for him, refueling his passion for the restaurant business and finding incred...

As a 2½-year Team Member of the CH Town & Country family, Caitlin is focused on mastering the ultimate Tasting Room experience. Staying true to her energetic self, she has passed the level 2 sommelier test to support her technical growth.  More importantly, she stays in the moment - focusing on keeping an open mind to her surroundings, fully appreciating the gift of guest feedback, and never allowing herself to be content with ...

A 9-year veteran with Cooper’s Hawk, Matthew sat down with me to share how he continues to grow every day as a manager, leader and friend, facing every opportunity with grit and positivity. He is a consummate learner in hospitality and feeds off of connecting with others, no matter their walk in life. I especially enjoyed how Matthew explains how he tries to stay in the moment, tuned in with his eyes up to every opportunity to exte...