Aviary Cafe and Creperie LLC executive chef John Allen resigned yesterday.
In a live interview this morning for Springfield Business Journal’s 12 People You Need to Know editorial event, the Victory Trade School success story said he left the job to spend more time with his wife and son.
“About 15 months ago, the Lord blessed me with a beautiful son, just an amazing son,” he said. “Five or six days a week, I would leave before my son was awake and I would get home when he was in bed.
“I just realized there was much more important things in life than building an empire.”
Allen, who said he spent 60-90 hours per week working for the Aviary since its 2011 opening, said after the Christmas season, he would seek employment opportunities that allow him to spend ample time with his family. He said in the near term, he would look into consulting and private chef work, and eventually would like to open his own restaurant in Bolivar, where he lives.
“I know that God has a way for me to earn a successful living and still be able to spend some time with my family,” Allen said.
Allen, who owned a 10 percent stake in the Aviary, was instrumental in the company’s
April 2011 downtown founding by Mark and Debbie Burgess. In
February 2014, a second restaurant opened in Farmers Park, followed by an event center
this summer at 5021 S. National Ave.
Earlier this year, private equity firm
Westward Alliance LLC bought the business from the Burgesses, and Allen stayed on board.
Since then, Allen has been heavily involved in
plans to franchise the Aviary. This morning, Allen said no franchisees have been brought on board yet as the new owners seek to develop a model that can be replicated.
“There’s been a lot of research and time that’s gone into putting together the Aviary bible, if you will. That’s very much still in progress,” he said. “Up until the last few months, we just knew we were cool and didn’t know why.”
Rough start
Allen, who always knew he wanted to work in the food industry, walked a rough path on the way to accomplishing that goal.
This morning, Allen told the live audience at Hilton Garden Inn about his struggles with drug addiction, particularly methamphetamine, while a teenager living in California.
“The allure is fast times, parties, having fun. Everything about it was exciting. I was more addicted to the lifestyle than the drug at first,” he said, noting that mindset flip-flopped as addiction overtook him. “I was out of my mind, and I thought I was thinking clearly.
“I thought I was in control, but I couldn’t have been.”
At 18, he spent a year behind bars, the first hint of a wake-up call. The judge in his case gave him a year in county jail - instead of a possible five years - under the condition he would attend Teen Challenge, a Christian-based, live-in rehab program in California. He did, but a relapse followed. He later returned to Teen Challenge on his own and turned his back on the drug world.
“Teen Challenge replaced all the garbage in my life with spiritual truth and the ability to function sober,” Allen said.
In 2010, Allen moved to Springfield to join faith-based Victory Trade School’s culinary arts program, which accepts people who have been sober at least a year.
About a year later, he met the Burgesses and helped them create the Aviary. Allen said the couple was able to see past his earlier troubles, something he believes other business owners can learn from.
“The unfortunate thing is most of the folks who run businesses are from an older generation where they didn’t have to deal with that all the time, and a lot of times they will look right over or right past a really well-qualified and well-rounded individual who’s had addiction problems in the past or who may have had a run-in with law enforcement when they were younger due to addiction,” Allen said. “There’s no way to avoid addiction issues with the new workforce.
“A lot of times, all it takes is an opportunity.”
