Women's Day: portrait of Rachel Arend

Meetings Portraits The 4 March 2022From Jennifer

March 8 is International Women's Rights Day. And on this occasion, we went to meet three inspiring and passionate women of our destination and we offer you their portrait in words and pictures... This second portrait is dedicated to Rachel Arend, restaurant owner and manager of two establishments in Sarreguemines: Au Sirop d'Erable and The Bubble Shop.

RACHEL AREND

Restaurant owner & manager

Au sirop d’Erable & The Bubble Shop

What is your background?

Atypical [laughs]! I’m one of those people who think you can have several lives in one. My educational background led me to work as an executive secretary. For 23 years I worked as an executive secretary in the same company, not far from Sarreguemines. It’s a company that has grown a lot today, and I’ve been able to witness its evolution, which has been very enriching for me. But in the end, I didn’t feel any more fulfilled than that. It was a rigorous job and I needed a bit more madness [laughs]! So I decided to open a bed and breakfast which I managed for 12 years. And now, for the last 3 years, this restaurant [Au Sirop d’Erable] is my baby! First there was the creperie in 2018, then the opening of the Bubble Shop a few months ago.

Have you done any restaurant training as a result?

Yes, I have! Well, I’ve always been passionate about cooking. Even when I was still a management assistant, I went to culinary training courses in Strasbourg, evening classes at Simon Lazard in Sarreguemines… And my mother, who cooked a lot and taught me a lot of things. So I took a training course at the other end of France, in Brittany, to learn the profession of crepe maker! But it is above all a daily passion, I am always looking at what is being done elsewhere… It never stops, that’s for sure!

: © JLauer Sarreguemines Tourisme

: © JLauer Sarreguemines Tourisme

How were your two establishments born?

First of all, they were born out of this need for creativity that I had. I think I always had this need to express this creativity in me. It also involved manual things, like working with flowers for example, which I did a lot for the guest rooms. It was good, but I knew that the place where I always felt the best was when I went into a professional kitchen during my culinary training. I was in a good mood, I knew I was in my element!

What inspires you on a daily basis?

Ah, so many things [laughs]! But I think it’s above all to please people. Bringing joy to the customers, satisfaction, I think that’s what it’s all about. Whether it’s the youngest or the oldest, I like people to feel good here, they come with their families, with friends… I’m pleased when I see a whole group of schoolchildren coming after school, friends who come in a group and enjoy themselves. The satisfaction is enormous!

Do you have any plans for the future, even though the Bubble Shop has just opened?

Oh, well, we’re going to take it easy for a while [laughs]! We’re going to let these two babies grow up a bit… And finally, I think this expression is very well found when we say that when you create a company, it’s like a baby. And this can really be transposed, I realised, because before becoming a parent you sleep peacefully, you are well, you enjoy yourself… And when you have children, everything changes, the nights are no longer as peaceful. When you create a company, it’s really similar: at night you think about the staff, the products you offer, the company’s approach… In any case, new projects, not immediately, but at the Bubble Shop we are already refocusing things differently to really adapt to the demand of our customers. We have a lot of demand for gluten-free and lactose-free products, so I’m working on recipes for waffles made with cornflour and vegetable milk and the results are starting to look really good! Then, of course, there are other ideas in the drawers, but I can’t tell you everything today [laughs]!

What does it mean to you to be a woman in your daily work life?

Even more challenging than being a man. It’s always a bit vexing when someone pushes open the door, a supplier or whatever, and asks to speak to the boss while looking at me. But now I have fun telling them that I’m the boss! Unfortunately, we still have more to prove, but it is still a huge satisfaction for me. Finally, I think that the whole professional path that I have followed has led me to manage my companies correctly. The rigour, which I kept after having been an assistant to a boss for 23 years, where I could see how things were done from a cash flow point of view, labour law… Today, all these notions are very useful to me!