Save Evans Kitchen, a local favorite restaurant
Donation protected
Hello, i'm Evan Elsberry and i've been in business in East Sac for 15 years. First as The Family Room for 3 years and then as Evan's Kitchen. My business partner for the last 12 years was my mother Laurette. She died tragically and suddenly a year ago, in march. She was a brilliant woman with the highest moral standards, known for her generosity and her heart. She was "Grandma" to her employees and patrons alike.
My mother ran the office, paid the bills, and handled the money flawlessly with precision and integrity. Our business had perfect credit and was flourishing. Her all too soon death started a chain of events that have been overwhelming to recover from. The day my mother went into the emergency room she told me "it doesn't matter how good a chef you are or how good the restaurant is, if you don't take care of the money it will all be gone". She was right. She was worried about me and the restaurant and "the money" and wanted to talk about it but was told to rest. She was sedated. When i came back the next day was on a ventilator, very sedated, and could no longer communicate. She kept spelling out "money", "taxes", and other financial information, i told her not to worry. She died a few days later. It was terrible to see her so frustrated. She never thought about herself first, even in death.
I temporarily lost my mind. I tried to carry on with a brave face but in reality i was lost. I had seen my mother every day for the last 12 years. As i was unfunctional, i turned over the office work and banking duty to others. That was the first mistake of mine. I would make more before i got my mind to function again. Though the restaurant was busy, the money ran out quickly. Nobody was trained to do what my mom did. Important deadlines came and went (TAXES!), the office personell turned over, then instead of getting better it got worse. Clients weren't billed, bills weren't paid, records weren't kept, money flew out the window. Theft was rampant. I installed cameras. The first theft happened 26 minutes later. There are too many ghastly events to list. I learned many hard lessons quickly. I've done everything possible to overcome but appear to be out of time, our once perfect credit is now NO CREDIT.
Here are the numbers im looking at to continue. The restaurant needs major repairs but i have too many, all at once, to get out of the hole. Back taxes are at the top of the list.
Back federal taxes - $57,000
Due federal taxes - $25,000
Electrical (major rewire) - $6,000
Plumbing/drywall - $5,000
Kitchen floor - $8,000
Broken ovens - $1,500
Totaled catering van - $1,200
Money owed to vendors - $40,000
i'm confident that if we reach this goal we'll be okay. We are busy every day and i've learned the business end. I don't want to let my 50 employees down or mom either.
I have never asked anyone for anything in the 15 years i've been in business. I'm somewhat embarassed to do so. I'm very active in the community and give back a lot, supporting charities and schools. I'm honest and hardworking. Many people and their families depend on me for their income. I'm also out of options. For as long as i can remember everyone i've helped with anything would say to me "Evan, if you ever need anything just ask". So, humbly, i am asking.
I hope to raise $150,000 to right the ship.
Thank you and bless you
- Chef Evan Elsberry
My mother ran the office, paid the bills, and handled the money flawlessly with precision and integrity. Our business had perfect credit and was flourishing. Her all too soon death started a chain of events that have been overwhelming to recover from. The day my mother went into the emergency room she told me "it doesn't matter how good a chef you are or how good the restaurant is, if you don't take care of the money it will all be gone". She was right. She was worried about me and the restaurant and "the money" and wanted to talk about it but was told to rest. She was sedated. When i came back the next day was on a ventilator, very sedated, and could no longer communicate. She kept spelling out "money", "taxes", and other financial information, i told her not to worry. She died a few days later. It was terrible to see her so frustrated. She never thought about herself first, even in death.
I temporarily lost my mind. I tried to carry on with a brave face but in reality i was lost. I had seen my mother every day for the last 12 years. As i was unfunctional, i turned over the office work and banking duty to others. That was the first mistake of mine. I would make more before i got my mind to function again. Though the restaurant was busy, the money ran out quickly. Nobody was trained to do what my mom did. Important deadlines came and went (TAXES!), the office personell turned over, then instead of getting better it got worse. Clients weren't billed, bills weren't paid, records weren't kept, money flew out the window. Theft was rampant. I installed cameras. The first theft happened 26 minutes later. There are too many ghastly events to list. I learned many hard lessons quickly. I've done everything possible to overcome but appear to be out of time, our once perfect credit is now NO CREDIT.
Here are the numbers im looking at to continue. The restaurant needs major repairs but i have too many, all at once, to get out of the hole. Back taxes are at the top of the list.
Back federal taxes - $57,000
Due federal taxes - $25,000
Electrical (major rewire) - $6,000
Plumbing/drywall - $5,000
Kitchen floor - $8,000
Broken ovens - $1,500
Totaled catering van - $1,200
Money owed to vendors - $40,000
i'm confident that if we reach this goal we'll be okay. We are busy every day and i've learned the business end. I don't want to let my 50 employees down or mom either.
I have never asked anyone for anything in the 15 years i've been in business. I'm somewhat embarassed to do so. I'm very active in the community and give back a lot, supporting charities and schools. I'm honest and hardworking. Many people and their families depend on me for their income. I'm also out of options. For as long as i can remember everyone i've helped with anything would say to me "Evan, if you ever need anything just ask". So, humbly, i am asking.
I hope to raise $150,000 to right the ship.
Thank you and bless you
- Chef Evan Elsberry
Organizer
Evan Elsberry
Organizer
Sacramento, CA
