How cordell's came to be...

We get asked almost every week how we came up with the idea for cordell's and we enjoy sharing our story. However, some of you have said that we should put our story on our website or make it available for people to read. So, I have decided to do just that, tell our story. Here goes...
 
A long, long time ago in a galaxy far away....uh...., wait, wrong story. Let's try that again...

Okay, this story begins as all stories begin, at the beginning. Joy and I will be married 15 years in July (I know, she is a lucky lady) and for most of our marriage, we have made plans for our store and a restaurant. I have wanted to own a restaurant for the past 20 years and have really enjoyed cooking since I was a child. My original idea was a restaurant with a small market attached. However, has time as gone by, I have discovered that while I love cooking for people, my main motivation is being able to talk with people about food. I love being able to teach and learn from my guests. So, the store idea just seems to be a better fit. I can still do dinners and parties for family, friends and customers to scratch the cooking itch, but I get to interact with people in the store every day and learn or teach something new.

Joy is a very gifted artist and designer at heart. She has done a wonderful job with the design of our store and she makes sure that we always look our best. She spent the 11 years before cordell's as a Special Education teacher and excelled at her job. However, she has always desired to be able to create and design, and cordell's allows her to use her God given talents. She is also a great researcher and loves finding new products and new ideas for cordell's. Plus, she likes good food too. She fits me perfectly and we make a pretty good team.

We have spent the last 4 years in search of when and where to do what. We have visited other cities; visited art and culinary schools, even looked at moving overseas for more training. However, every path and road led back to here. We are where we are supposed to be, and we are excited. This first 9 1/2 months has been amazing and we could not have asked for anything more.

We have been able to marry our interests and talents to create cordell's. And so, every day, we feel like we get to do the coolest job on earth. I was in a different field of work for the past 17 years, and while I enjoyed it and was good at it, I feel that cordell's is what I was made to do. Joy was an exceptional teacher for the past 11 years, but she is now doing what she has always wanted to do and what she was created to do.

You will often hear us refer to cordell's as a community. The reason for this is because we want cordell's to become a community. We get the opportunity to meet people from all backgrounds and walks of life and we all share the same thing, the need for food. We want to learn, teach and share ideas about food and life, have fun and make new friends while doing it. We all have to eat to live, so why not make it fun and why not make it good. Food has the ability to bring people together and to create lasting memories. Call me Norman Rockwell, but sometimes I just need that Rockwell moment.  Sharing food with friends, family or someone you have just met, gets me a little closer to that moment.

That's our story. Two people who have had a dream for a really long time, finally able to make it happen. Hollywood may never come calling, but it has been quite the ride. We are just really excited and blessed to be doing what we do. Thank you for this awesome opportunity.

-- Jason Cordell Beard

(Some of you have asked about our name.  Cordell is my middle name and was my grandfather's and great-grandfather's middle name as well.)