Meet Stephanie Wright: Dinner A’Fare Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Wright and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. My father, my grandparents, and my great grandparents all started their own businesses. Each business was completely different though. I always knew that I wanted to own my own business but had no idea what I wanted to do. In some ways I feel like it was harder going about discovering what you want to do in life by doing it this way. Ideally you are really good at something and you decide to pursue that as the business you want to start. I started the other way around. I knew I wanted to open my own business but had no idea what that would be. I spent a few years during and after graduate school doing many different things to try and discover what that might be. I was a substitute teacher, worked at Martha Stewart, I worked in an art gallery, and in a paint your own pottery studio. Ultimately my first business was opening a paint your own pottery studio because I felt that that was the business, I knew how to run the best and thought that it would be the most fun. My parameters were low cost to open, something that made me happy, setting my own hours, being able to be around people and giving them something in life that made them happy and of course being able to make a living. I never wanted to open a business that I ran forever, just until the next fun thing came along. The craziest thing happened. After I opened the pottery studio, which I opened with my fiancé, so many other business ideas popped into my head. I had always loved cooking and big family gatherings surrounding meals is what I grew up with. I never even thought about that as a possible business because I never wanted to open a restaurant. This is how Dinner A’Fare was born. It was sort of a combo of feeding families in a paint your own pottery-paint kit kind of way. Not only could I make them happy by providing a delicious, healthy, easy, affordable dinner for one night, I could help them make their lives easier overall, giving them more time to spend with family. While working at the pottery studio I could see so many families needed more of this.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Before I opened the paint your own pottery studio, I was exploring many things that I wanted to try. I had always wanted to go to culinary school. I grew up with 2 southern grandmothers and parents that loved to cook. Family gatherings were an important part of our life. Having grandparents who farmed almost everything they ate gave me an appreciation for food, agriculture and the hard work that goes into what you sit down to eat. When I worked at Martha Stewart, I was in the Nature Editorial department but always found myself wondering over to the culinary side of the building. She was one of the first people that I ever saw show an important to seasonality of food. After graduate school I applied to culinary school. and was so excited to get started! I received a phone call saying I was “accepted” but was asked to meet with the culinary director. When I was 15 years old, I was paralyzed during surgery for scoliosis and am in a wheelchair. The director of the program felt that because I was in a wheelchair culinary school would not work for me. I was devastated. Within a few years running the paint your own pottery business and many encouraging conversations with my husband I decided that I didn’t need culinary school to open my own business. I learned on my own. After all what in the world did culinary school teach you that 2 southern grandmothers and a mom who is fierce in the kitchen couldn’t? I didn’t need a fancy culinary degree to do what I loved and to share it with other people. We opened Dinner A’Fare (then called Simply Supper) in 2004, 2 weeks after we got married. I’m the creative force (a crazy one sometimes) and my husband is the business machine behind it all. We will have been open for 17 years this June and am so happy to say that I have had so much fun creating recipes and fun marketing campaigns. It never gets old.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Food Food Food! Atlanta is one of the most amazing cities in the United States! There are so many awesome places to eat and things to do. In a normal year (not 2020!) We would start by visiting Ponce City Market. They have the best view of the city from the rooftop. We would grab a cocktail, something with peach and prosecco of course, and enjoy the skyline. I LOVE oysters. I have a little obsession with them. I love the raw bar at W.H. Stiles Fish Camp. They have the best menu! Oysters and southern flair, 2 of my favorite things! We used to live in the city but moved to Cumming when we opened Dinner A’Fare. We needed more space, less noise and room to move around. I grew up in the suburbs but had lived in New York and Atlanta for a few years and wasn’t sure I was ready to leave the city. Slowly North Atlanta has become my favorite place and I am now rock ‘in the suburbs. For so many people in Atlanta OTP (outside the perimeter) is a scary place, but there are so many amazing places to eat and things to do. We have downtown Roswell, Alpharetta the Avalon and Halcyon all up the 400 corridor. So many of the great restaurants around the city have opened 2nd locations and new concepts up here that we don’t have to drive into the city all of the time. If we were bringing our kids, I would definitely take them to Superica in The Avalon. A Ford Fry favorite of mine! You can’t beat the Enchiladas Verde, Short Rib and a kid favorite the Bean and Cheese Nachos! Who comes to a Tex-Mex restaurant for salad?? Everyone! Try the Ensalada De La Casa, you will love it. Of course, if you are going to a Braves game, an Atlanta MUST, you can grab a taco and a margarita at their Taco Truck outside the restaurant. The Avalon has a great green space too. You can grab at drink at any restaurant and let the kids have their fun at Fuzziwigs Candy Factory, best candy shop ever! For some quiet time so many people forget that Atlanta has Lake Lanier just north of the city. We love going out on the boat and taking a trip up to Fishtales. The restaurant is in the marina, so you just hop off the boat grab Firecracker Shrimp Tacos, or Tuna Poke Nachos and some Clam Strips for the kids. A perfect summer dinner!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family has had a HUGE impact on my success as a business owner. I learned that hard work and dedication didn’t come easy very early in life. My grandparents ran the only grocery store in a small town while also running a 1000+ acre farm. Work never ended there. My father ran his own insurance business, and many nights wouldn’t get home from work until after 9pm. In those days insurance policies were signed at home with an agent who would come out to our house after work. My mom always taught us that owning your own business was a family effort. We had to be there to support each other. Even though we would eat an earlier dinner, we would always sit down with my dad when he got home for another “dinner.” Family time around the table was important. It was our time to connect. Not only did my parents always tell me that I could do anything I wanted, but they also showed me by taking the risks they took. I remember when my dad started his first business, I was in 2nd grade. His “desk” was in the basement on the floor. Without ever saying it, he showed me that you don’t always have to have everything perfect to get started, just do it and it will come. It also showed me that you didn’t need to have a lot of money to start something. Just the will to do it. Both of my parents and grandparents were extremely important in encouraging me to start my own business. They gave me the foundation I needed both emotionally and mentally to take the risk.

Website: www.dinnerafare.com

Instagram: @dinnerafare

Facebook: Dinner101