Everyone is always what else we do for work (because yes, we have real jobs besides the podcast!) and in this episode we talk about one of Bricia’s passion projects. This week we interview Dina Samson, restauranteur and co-founder of RE:Her. The non-profit started as a covid era support group for women owned restaurants like the Lopez family’s Guelaguetza and Dina’s Rossoblu and Superfine Pizza, and now continues to support & encourage women in the hospitality industry and the communities they serve. Dina also runs us through her busy days as a twin mom and how she structures the rest of her restauranteur work between mom life, and she’s sharing her best advice for restaurant owners that mamas can also use when raising their kids.
More about Dina: Dina Samson adeptly assumed the role of “unexpected restaurateur” when she opened her first restaurant, Sotto, alongside husband/chef Steve Samson, in 2011. Since then, she has become the visionary and operational glue for their two concepts, Rossoblu and Superfine Pizza which fall under their newly formed Mighty Nice Hospitality Group.
True to their hospitality group’s core values of compassion and community, Dina has co-founded RE:Her, Independent Hospitality Coalition, and FeedLoveLA, all organizations which focus on supporting and uplifting the Los Angeles restaurant community. Samson is both a James Beard Foundation Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership and C200 WinLab fellow.
More about RE:Her: Nine female restaurateurs in Los Angeles formed Regarding Her (aka RE:Her) in November 2020 as a response to the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the restaurant industry. Their first undertaking, 10 Days RE:Her, united over 100 female food and beverage entrepreneurs across Los Angeles for a 10-day festival featuring unique collaborations, thematic menus, virtual events and conversations, and more.
RE:Her is a 501(c)(3) non-profit fund actively seeking donors and sponsors to support its services and initiatives, including its RE:Her Grant Program, designed to distribute cash grants to women-owned restaurants in Los Angeles County impacted by the pandemic.
The members of RE:Her’s leadership team operate the organization, and do so pro bono. Their hope is that their work will support and empower the community they hold dear – the female-led culinary world of Los Angeles and beyond – and, in doing so, help to save HER restaurants.
Our Conversation with Dina
Tell us about the non-profit. What is it about and who is it for?
How do you structure your day?
What else do you do besides RE:Her?
How to become a member of RE:Her
Dina’s best advice for restauranteurs
Mom tips!
Pick or Tip of the Week
We always talk about the importance of self care! One of Paulina’s self care practices includes studying her Bible. She always reads it in the morning and journals, and she found pens and highlights made specifically for thin Bible pages. They’re by Mr. Pen in the Amazon store and they have plenty of options at different price points. It makes her self care experience that much better!
Bricia pick is the Good Notes app on her iPad. You can create anything for taking notes! She uses it for her Bible study and even created her own template based on the templates available on the app.
Links
Follow Dina, her restaurants and projects on social media - @dinasam, @rossablula, @superfinepizza, @regardingherfood, @independenthospitalityla and @feedlovela
Become a member of RE:Her! More regions coming soon.
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