Em was born outside Philadelphia and raised in North Florida and other places in between. She graduated high school from Paxon School for Advanced Studies in Jacksonville and then attended the University of Florida, where she earned a degree in Art History. Em lived in New York City after college to pursue the art industry, and moved to Athens in 2014 to be closer to her parents and have a change of pace. She is a seasoned restaurant alum, having worked front of house at multiple restaurants in town. Em parlayed her service industry work experience and her love for small businesses into her current work as Sales Director at Condor Chocolates, where she has worked for five years. She manages over 100+ wholesale accounts and oversees corporate gifting, weddings and special projects. She loves working for small businesses, as she believes they are what make a community unique. Em lives in central Athens with husband, Michael, and their 20-month-old twins, Juno and Wilder.
What is your favorite part of your job?
No two days are the same. Also, I work with an incredible team that comes from various backgrounds– a lot of seasoned restaurant folks and music folks, a lot of creative people. Getting to work with Nick and Peter [Dale] is really awesome, especially with Peter’s great influence on Athens.
When you’re not working, what are your favorite things to do in and around Athens?
Things have gotten a lot simpler since having twins. But I would say going on walks, sneaking in a yoga session at M3 Yoga or Fuel, having a glass of wine or two post-bedtime, making a good meal. I love The Lark and the new Bar Bruno is fantastic too – great places for a date night – which have become even more precious!
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Probably South America. Michael and I have talked about going to Peru and down to Argentina or Patagonia. A tour of South America would be really fun.
If you could see any band or musician, anywhere, who would it be and where?
I think I would want to see Blondie in the late ‘70s in New York City. That whole CBGB time frame, ‘77 in New York City, that sort of punk-rock scene. David Bowie during that time would be amazing too. A double bill Blondie and David Bowie would blow my mind.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Take it easy. You don’t have to figure it all out now. Enjoy being young now, because you’ll grow out of it. I was in such a race to figure out what my life was going to look like that I wasn’t enjoying it to the fullest as it was happening.
Do you have a favorite book?
One of my favorite books that I’ve ever read is Fate and Furies, by Lauren Groff. It’s a novel and it is a messy, beautiful, poetic view of a marriage from both sides of the relationship. Her writing is insanely good. And then one of the books I always come back to is The Stranger, by Albert Camus; it’s a short and sort of existential read that I’ve found myself reading around once a year.
Do you have a favorite movie? Or, do you remember the first movie you saw in a theater?
It’s a very cheesy one, but Something’s Gotta Give, with Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson. It’s kind of meant for an older demographic, it’s a romcom, but it’s so good and it always makes me laugh. The soundtrack is also fantastic. It’s one of those movies that I get sucked into when it comes on TV (even with 5 minute commercial intervals).
If you could put any message on a billboard, what would it be?
We’re all just doing our best.
If you could have lunch with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and where?
Maybe, if I didn’t come off as too much of a fangirl, it would be Anthony Bourdain. *Ideally* with Barack Obama like in that one episode of Parts Unknown where they’re eating noodles in Hanoi. That would be perfect.
What three words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word “home”?
I think of the unique scent of my family and house, fresh crisp sheets, and being in the kitchen with a wooden spoon in hand.
