If you have spent any time at Sugarloaf over the past five years, chances are you enjoyed time warming up at Alice & Lulu’s. The synergy of welcoming aura, authentic Raclette service and elevated libations thrilled Loafers to finally have a dining option that didn’t revolve around the ski school schedule.
When I first heard my beloved “mountainside office” was closing, I cried. But Laura and Lex Godin (sorry, their names have never been Alice and Lulu, but they still welcome the sweet mistake) promise the next iteration, Cork and Rind that opens November 2023, will still have the core of what Loafers love, just in a different package.
Like many restaurant owners and chefs, the past few years forced them to reckon with the harsh reality of hospitality burnout. Not only did they have to consider what that looked like as business partners, but also as a married couple. They ultimately decided a pivot was the healthiest move for their home life, customers and growing flock of chickens. I joined them for an honest conversation about what owning a restaurant—and still being in love–looks like in 2024.
At what point did you both decide the model of Alice & Lulu’s needed a shift?
Lex: (Big Sigh) I have a pretty clear memory of that. I got there well before Laura did. I was so burnt out at the end of last season. We were standing on our farm and I realized it wasn’t just the business that was wrong but how Laura and I were talking to each other and not communicating…I would walk into the restaurant to start kitchen prep work and feel like I was going to have a panic attack.
Laura: It was April, after Reggae Weekend. We were planting seeds in the greenhouse—what a metaphor—and we knew whatever came next had to look very different.
Was there a moment then when you thought you would just shut the A&L doors and just walk away from the restaurant business completely?
Laura: At that moment we knew there were only so many options. When we broached not having our own business, that wasn’t the right answer.
Lex: It wasn’t that we wanted to work for someone else or do something else, we just needed a shift. A rest. We took time at our farm, at home, alone and together to evaluate what we needed. The clarity of rest is what we needed. We love food. We love wine and cheese and brining unique products to our customer.
Laura: Yes! We were in Canada and there is such a cool wine bar called La Buvette. There was no menu or prices and it is just one woman and she says, “Do you want to try something cool? What, you like red, bubbles?” And it was this magical exchange. Before you know it, you have this great meal and wine in front of you that is just for you.
Lex: It is a whole philosophy of, “I have something you are going to like, we just have to find it. It may come by a different name or on a different plate, but you are going to love it. Trust me.”
What can guests expect at the new place, Cork and Rind? I am not sure Loafers are ready for a place without menus and prices, as lovely as La Buvette sounds.
Laura: It is a space where you can buy, taste and shop all things wine, cheese, charcuterie, imported and locally sourced. Big focus on Maine cheeses—there are so many gems that deserve recognition. You can access the flavors of what A&L was known for, but not in a traditional restaurant. And yes, there are prices.
Lex: We will still have our house made pasta, house baked bread, all pickles, all of the things we were known for in our menu will be for retail. We still have the homey space where you can sit at the counter and do your work, Maggie. The cozy space still exists just in a more casual format.
Laura: We will still have Raclette at the bar and you can buy all of the makings for a traditional Alpine meal to take and make at home.
Circling back to burnout, because I feel like that in an epidemic in Maine’s hospitality circle, how are you ensuring self-care practices into this new venture so you don’t get back to the exhaustion of last spring?
Lex: For one, we have hired one of the best staff we have had…a steady BOH, settled in the area. They really care about food culture and us as a business.
Laura: We have learned Lex and I don’t have to do every piece of the puzzle. As owner-operators we are so invested but with that means we need to curate a team environment and learn to let go of some of the day-to-day.
Lex: As far as self-care goes, I sat and thought about what matters to me outside of cooking and that is service to my local community. I saw a poster at the hardware store about volunteer firefighters and went to training two days later. It was just electric to me. I was hooked. Something was reignited in me.
What are the lessons in managing stress as married co-owners?
Lex: She helps me get out of my head and I help her settle. I also can’t talk to her like she’s my employee, which I tend to do when working the kitchen. She reminds me we are partners. The restaurant business can drive partners apart. I have seen it happen.
Laura: We have been life partners longer than business partners. We have learned over the past five years that we both bring different skills to the table. There is no place for ego. How do we bring areas of our expertise to create the most successful, well-run business that we can?
Lex: We always share a love and passion for food and wine. At the hardest times we look at each other and say, “Let’s go eat and drink together.” And that heals all.
Laura: We also have a lot of chickens. Laughing with chickens also works.
In Take Two of your adventure, what are you looking most forward to?
Lex: Some of the highest praise we have ever gotten is that we make people feel like they are transported to a different world. So, more of that.
Laura: I get giddy when people say they forget they are at Sugarloaf. As they are drinking a wine they’ve never heard and eating Lex’s warm bread. They let their guard down to try something new. That’s trust and we love all of that.
