Welcome to #HOMETOWNHUSTLE – a SweetwaterNOW exclusive series where we highlight hardworking individuals in our community.
This week I had a chance to catch up with Eve Piza. Eve is the chef, owner, and operator of Eve’s Restaurant in Rock Springs.
At Eve’s almost everything is made from scratch. Each item on the menu is influenced by a variety of people, places, and regions. At Eve’s great food isn’t the only thing on the menu, you can also choose from classic cocktails and a streamlined but unique wine list.
Eve and her husband Josh moved to Rock Springs 10 years ago from Boston, and last year, when the opportunity to open up the restaurant presented itself Eve took advantage.
If you’ve ever had the chance to enjoy the food at Eve’s, you know it’s unlike anything else in the area. Cooking is Eve’s passion and it shows. At Eve’s the food is made with fresh, high-quality ingredients. The folks at Eve’s work with the Forbes Family Ranch located in the Sheep Creek Geological Loop, near Manila, UT, and other local growers.
“I look at cooking as a life long learning opportunity. There’s always a new approach, a new technique, a new dish…”
The restaurant business is high-risk, fast-paced, stressful, and the work rarely stops. Eve is always finding new and improved ways to manage all that comes with running a successful restaurant.
“I’ve had to figure out how to manage my own stress so I’m not losing my mind and creating a negative environment for everyone around me. This is a high stake, stressful business, and we’ve had some major hiccups that have kept me up at night, but learning how to appreciate the wins and not always focusing on what can be better has been a tough lesson to learn.
– Eve Piza
I’m always striving to be better, faster and I’ve needed to learn how to celebrate the wins with my team. Balance, I suppose the biggest challenge is learning how to be balanced.”
Like most restaurants around the world, Eve’s has also had to adapt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pizza and other take-out items were added to the menu, and the community has loved it! Their pizza is unlike any other you can find locally.
The #HometownHustle series is made possible by:
To Eve, the rewards of living out her dreams are worth going through those tough moments.
Along with doing what she loves, she enjoys the freedoms that come with being a business owner.
“It’s nice being able to spend more time with my family in the morning – and I have to give a shout out to my hubby who has been awesome through all of this.”
Josh has taken on a whole new career as the front of house manager, bar manager, and bartender.
When I asked Eve about her favorite memory of her this journey so far, she couldn’t pin it down to just one, but she did mention she is thankful for the relationships she has been able to cultivate and build with the staff at Eve’s.
“We are like little kids in the kitchen. Our staff ranges from 16 years old to 67 and there isn’t a day that goes by where some silly, ridiculously funny interaction with each other keeps us all going – all of the laughter.”
Eve & Clint Kimsey
For Eve those relationships are a large part of what business success means to her.
“It’s important to create a space that is fun to be in, both for our customers and the family we’ve built with our employees. Creating and keeping that is how I define success.”
Eve has a few wise words of advice she’d like to share with aspiring business owners/managers…
“Make sure you love what you do. If you want to open a business or fully invest in your field you need to be passionate about your work.”
In the past year, Eve and her family have experienced first hand how wonderful the people of Sweetwater County are, and she would like to say thank you.
“We’re so grateful to be a part of this community. We moved here almost 10 years ago, not really knowing what to expect and we’ve been so incredibly lucky. Josh has a great community at the college, I have met so many amazing friends while I worked at the Hospital, and now here, at our restaurant. Our lives have become so full of friends and community. We’re just incredibly grateful to do what we love and have the opportunity to share it with everyone. We recognize how welcomed we’ve been and it’s been an awesome experience. Our family has grown 10 fold and we’re just happy to be a part of it all.”
Give Eve’s a call at (307) 522-5756
1501 Clubhouse Drive in Rock Springs
Keep up with them on Facebook HERE
Check out their menu & website HERE
