2013 December PASO Magazine

BUSINESS
Berry Hill Bistro celebrates 10 years of creating
By Bob Chute
This month Jody Storsteen is celebrating
10 years as owner of Berry
Hill Bistro on Pine Street in downtown
Paso Robles. But 19 days after
she opened on December 3, 2003 she
wasn’t sure if she’d be in business for
20 days, let alone 10 years.
December 22 was the date of the
6.5 magnitude San Simeon Earthquake
which caused tremendous
damage throughout the area and took
the lives of two women working in an
unreinforced masonry building in the
downtown.
“We’d only been open 19 days,” said
Jody. “Then we were closed for three
weeks awaiting approval of structural
engineers to reopen the building. We
lost everything. I had just received a
large order and all the food was lost
along with all of our wine, liquor,
glasses, plates...everything!”
Jody said it literally took a couple of
years to get back on track, “That was
an awful beginning. When we finally
reopened we had been closed longer
than we were open but were back at
square one with huge expenses to restock
and reorder...basically doubling
our opening expenses plus all the repair
expenses that were needed. I was
hoping for a FEMA low interest loan
but they said I didn’t qualify because
I had only been open a short time.
Fortunately I had a great 15 year relationship
with Mid State Bank [now
Rabobank] in Cambria with my JBJ
Round Up Pizza Restaurant I had
sold to move to Paso and they helped
me with a loan. Some of my vendors
also helped out and the community
was very supportive...our neighbors
were great and our customers came
back right away.”
And on December 3 she celebrates
10 years in Paso, “I believe our success
is because of our homemade creations
of what I call contemporary comfort
food with a twist...the best food
possible for
the best price.
Nothing comes out
of a can, for example, all of our soups,
dressings and desserts are made from
scratch. Plus we offer a full bar, an
extensive local wine selection, and an
ever expanding collection of our local
craft beers.
“I feel downtown Paso Robles is a
wonderful place to be, it is constantly
evolving and has an international feel
to it now,” added Jody. “The Main
Street Association is so supportive
and the merchants have a great camaraderie
- we’re always supporting
each other, loaning and borrowing as
needed. So it has that international
ambiance without losing the special
small town feel that is Paso Robles.”
That small town feel brought Jody
to Paso Robles from Cambria. “I lived
in Cambria while attending Cal Poly
and worked at several restaurants to
put myself through school including
Slab Town Pizza. When I graduated I
went to work for the State Department
of Fish & Game and was involved in
a fascinating Sea Otter Project about
20 years ago. But then the project
went to the feds and I lost the position.
The times were tight and there
were only desk jobs available locally.
I could have
transferred to
Los Angeles or
Fresno areas to continue to work outside
but that didn’t appeal to me.”
Then things changed dramatically,
“I realized I really enjoyed the
interaction with people everyday in
the restaurant business and my folks
helped me by co-signing on a loan to
buy Slab Town Pizza. I renamed it JBJ
(for my parents, Joanie and Brad and
Jody) Round Up Pizza and created a
western theme. It was really popular, I
owned it for 15 years but I liked what
I saw happening in Paso, it was the
beginning of the boom times in town
and the wineries were exploding. I
liked the vibe, the country feel and the
direction the downtown was taking
with new ideas and great restaurants. I
moved here in 2000 and commuted to
Cambria for awhile then sold JBJ but
it took three years before a space came
available around the park.
Jody has been blessed with incredible
employees over the years, “My best
friend and Manager Janet Zillig came
with me from Cambria along with my
head cook, Efrain Garcia. I’ve been so
fortunate to have such great people
so I don’t have to be here 24/7. Effie
has been with me for over 25 years,
unfortunately we lost Janet to cancer a
couple years ago, and I miss her dearly.
Other familiar faces include Tammy
and Susan, plus many new faces have
brought new ideas including fantastic
martinis and after dinner drinks. I also
have several great cooks that have each
been with me for at least three years.”
Where does she hope to take Berry
Hill Bistro in the years ahead? “I’d
like to continue following the latest
trends in food preparation with our
special twists, no packaged foods ever.
I love to experiment with new ideas
and the menu is always changing.
Everything is always fresh and good.
And we keep our basic daily specials
each week as well - they have quite
a following. I dropped the Tuesday
Clams special one month and wow,
did I hear about that!
“It’s fun as well because my 20
year old son Tanner is working with
me and creating some new ideas of
his own. My 13 year old Tate is also
helping out. They have the same drive
I have, it’s fun to watch.”
Jody is planning a special day long
celebration on Tuesday, December
3rd to mark the 10th anniversary with
drawings for prizes and gift certificates,
special lunch and dinner offerings
plus Happy Hour all day, along
with some yet-to-be-defined surprises.
“Thank you Paso Robles,” added
Jody. “I appreciate your confidence in
our efforts and hope to serve you for
many more years! Please join us for
our celebration!”
Berry Hill Bistro, 1114 Pine Street
in Paso Robles has seating for 40 and
is open 7 days a weeks serving lunch
and dinner, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m, later in
the summer months. “Many restaurants
close after lunch then reopen for
dinner, we’re open constantly 11 a.m.
to 9 p.m. every day.”
Jody only closes on Thanksgiving
and Christmas Day. For more information,
call 238-3929.
Susie’s All Breed Dog Grooming
Thank you for 40 years of
business! We look forward
to serving you in the
coming years!
Book your appointment early!
No. Main Street • Templeton
Monday - Saturday • 7:30AM-Noon
434-0605
— OVER 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE —
56 Paso Robles Magazine, December 2013