Why I Decided To Keep The Family Business Alive

At one point in their lives, each of our guests had to choose whether or not they would inherit a family business. The answer didn't always come quickly, and most of them had to change the business to make it their own, but each decided to carry their family's tradition to the next generation.

The Avenue Pub had been a family business for nearly 20 years before Polly Watts claimed it for herself. It was the kind of place where patrons bought cheap beer and knocked back shots of Jagermeister, but Polly knew there wasn't a future down that road, at least not for her. When she reshaped the menu, she ultimately reshaped the bar into one of the Southeast's best destinations for craft beer.

Vance Vaucresson didn't have to overhaul his family's recipes when he inherited their Creole sausage company, but his journey to the head of the company was as challenging as we can imagine. Vance's personal story will have you leaning in close to your radio. 

Of course, family dynamics aren't isolated to Louisiana. Liam Callahan followed in his mother's lead to become a gourmet cheesemaker in the rolling hills of Petaluma, California, and traveled as far as Italy to sharpen his skills. His family's dairy has been providing sheep's cheese to high-end stores and fining dining restaurants for roughly two decades, including the all-local, all-seasonal restaurant Chez Panisse. Head chef Cal Peternell has brought his family through the restaurant so often, it's hard for him to distinguish between his domestic and professional families. 

Tune in to find out what keeps all of these families together.