Nidia Alexander, who spent a decade working with distressed funds as a portfolio manager for Invesco before jumping feet first into entrepreneurship, knows the shape the economy is in. “I”™ve seen the recession up close and personal,” says the owner of Nyack”™s newest eatery, Café Barcel, which opened on Main Street in mid-November.
Yet despite the doom and gloom in the headlines, Alexander says her years spent on Wall Street have only reinforced her conviction that the economy will recover. In fact, her faith is so great she invested $100,000 out of pocket to lease a space on the village of NyackӪs Main Street and open the new 48-seat caf̩ and wine bar.
“Yes, the economy is struggling,” said Alexander, “and Nyack is having its share of struggles, too. But the economy has been through this before and has bounced back, and we are going to bounce back again. I want to be right here when it happens, in a business I grew up in and love.”
Alexander says another big plus for Caf̩ Barcel is its chef, Kevin Reilly, whose impressive culinary resume has given the Rockland resident an opportunity to show off his skills and devote the time he formerly spent commuting to coming up with new ideas for Caf̩ BarcelӪs menu.
“Working with Nidia has given me the opportunity to get into what I love without spending all my time getting to work,” said Reilly. “Instead of driving 30-plus hours each week, I am here at the restaurant, cooking and experimenting with new dishes. Our menu is nouveau American with some Latino and Mediterranean influences, and we are making great meals at reasonable prices.”
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Commuting played a major part in Alexander”™s decision to leave corporate America and strike out on her own, as well. “Up to now, I”™ve spent my entire career on a bus or train,” says the new restaurateur. “My husband Dan owns Mainly Monograms here in Nyack. After our son was born, I went back to work; the 2 ½ hour commute each way just became overwhelming for our family life. I didn”™t want to be away from my son for so many hours.
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“This has definitely been a wonderful transition for all of us,” she says. “I can spend the morning with him, and my husband can pick him up after school. We have a family life. There are some things you can”™t put a dollar value on.”
Alexander also realizes the switch from working behind a desk and being able to put calls into voice mail to interacting with the dining public and dealing face to face is vastly different: “My sister, Estelle, had a few restaurants in the East Village. I know what the business is like because I grew up in it and around it. I know it is a very different challenge than what I was accustomed to but I was ready for the change.
“In the restaurant business, you deal with the public every day,” she says. “I do love interacting with people, and I know that”™s a strong asset to have in this line of work. I knew what I was getting into. With a great mentor in my husband Dan, who has owned his own business for 20 years here in the village, and a great chef like Kevin, I feel we have the right combination to make a real go of it.”
Café Barcel waited only three months for its liquor license, a big plus for its start, said Alexander. “There is a new person in charge of the State Liquor Authority, so the wait for many months others have gone through to get approved has been expedited. David Panzarella put our wine list together ”“ great wines from Spain and South America, the rest from Napa Valley.”
Despite the still-sour economy, Alexander says people still need to get out and that Café Barcel is “tailored to attract people who want to go out for an evening without busting their budget. People are watching what they are spending, so we are also making sure our restaurant has comfort food with comfortable pricing so that people will come back for more.”
