Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Shaughnessy.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started working in a kitchen at the age of 15 alongside my brother in a Green Mill. In the beginning it was just a job. I didn’t know I had a passion for cooking until I took a summer internship as an apprentice electrician. I realized then that I missed everything from the clanging of pots and pans to the comradery in the kitchen, to putting finished dishes in the expo window.
At that point, I made the decision to attend Le Cordon Bleu. After graduating, I moved to France for two months and continued my culinary education under Master Chef Jean-Luc Simon. I not only worked in his restaurant every day but, I was able to live with his family. My experiences with Chef Jean-Luc helped shape who I am as a Chef and a person to this day. I adapted the mantra throughout my career “What would Jean-Luc do.”
At the age of 23, I fell into the Executive Chef position at Bella Notte in Minneapolis. There I established lifelong friendships. I somehow fell into the favor with our Olive Oil Purveyor, Monini and, was awarded the opportunity of going to Italy where I was able to hunt for truffles in the Hills of Umbria and added to my growth as a Chef.
On this trip, I learned of an opportunity to join The Wolf Gang Puck Group in Las Vegas. I applied and was accepted as a Sous Chef for Lupo inside of Mandalay Bay on the Las Vegas Strip.
In 2007, I returned to France for another few months and continued to learn under Chef Jean-Luc Simon. Before I left France, I felt a pull to return to Minnesota. I’m glad I did because, shortly after I met my wife Viorica.
Viorica and I met in 2010 while opening a restaurant in Maple Grove. Viorica was front of house, server and bartender and, I was the chef. After 9 months of Vegas, I felt another pull and this time it was to return to Vegas. I felt I wasn’t done with my culinary journey there. We then moved to Las Vegas where I went back to work with the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group as a Sous Chef at Postrio in the Venetian.
I also was the Executive Chef of D.Vino Italian Food and Wine Bar inside the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino.
After six years in Las Vegas, we decided to move home to be around our family and friends. We got married in 2014,
I was the Executive Chef of Windsong Farm Golf Club until 2016. I truly never saw myself working at a Golf Club but, I’m so grateful I did. The members and people I met there have continued to support my culinary career and have been patrons of mine throughout the years.
I knew I wanted to be a Chef again in Minneapolis so, I took the opening Executive Chef position at Young Joni in NE Minneapolis. After 2.5 years of running that kitchen, I then went on to work at Mill Valley Kitchen in St. Louis Park, MN.
Then the Pandemic hit……
I found myself question like so many others whether or not I wanted to remain in the Restaurant industry. My passion for the people and food won out again and, I decided to keep going. I was faced with more free time than I had ever had since I was 15. I decided to use that time to start working on a business plan.
Viorica and I had always dreamed of opening a Restaurant. Viorica spent most of her career in the food industry also since the age of 15. We both shared the same passion for food and service. Her passion for food can be traced back to when she was a toddler in Romania. Her family tells stories of her moving from table to table at family events pretending she hadn’t just eaten so she could get more food. It’s fitting that she married a Chef.
Our dream of opening a Restaurant came true on August 1st, 2021, when we opened Advellum inside of The Market at Malcolm Yards Foodhall.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When starting any business, you will encounter your fair share of obstacles. I think opening a restaurant during a pandemic came with a new set of challenges. Some of the challenges we faced that were heightened due to the pandemic were staffing shortages, a constant influx of pricing increases on almost all products and goods and, product shortages. We faced Mask Mandates and Vaccine Mandates with the wave of the Omicron Virus and the drop of business that occurred during that time. We consider ourselves very lucky that was it. Many other Restaurants went through so much more in 2020.
Another struggle was learning how to work with each other and still be able to show up for each other as spouses. Being able to still be Co-Owners and at the same time Husband and Wife. This wasn’t as big of a struggle because, we had some help. Before we opened, we started working with Growing Edge Facilitation in Minneapolis and we learned how to effectively communicate with each other and establish roles in our business. The tools we learned helped us be able to communicate effectively in business with each other and not blur the lines between business and personal.
Every day presents new challenges, however, Viorica and I have divided and conquered our responsibilities and we have created an amazing product that we are proud of. We also have an amazing team that stuck by us through it all. We are extremely grateful for them and couldn’t do it without them!
Most of the struggles we encounter are manageable, the biggest thing we have learned is to keep pushing and evolving. Success happens with plenty of failure along the way. We just try to learn from every opportunity presented to us.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are Advellum. A restaurant located inside The Market at Malcolm Yards. We have created an exciting, vegetable focused menu, with global influences and grilled proteins that everyone can enjoy. Being part of such a large food hall is extremely rewarding and challenging. Chef Michael loves to use fresh, seasonal produce in every dish. In fact, we carry 49 fresh produce items!
One of our biggest accomplishments is when guests come back to tell us they had no idea vegetables could be prepared with such care and thoughtfulness. Or when a guest says they never liked a certain vegetable until they ate it Advellum. This happens a lot.
An accomplishment we are proud of is, having our Benjamin Bacon dish be named top 10 dishes in the Pioneer Press. We also were able to feature one of our dishes in the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge for the month of August.
Our menu is very diverse with options of Herbivorous Butcher Plant Based Chorizo Nachos or Chipotle Chicken Nachos, Grainbowls, Gyros, Salads.
We have an amazing Plant Based Burger called The Wild Boomer Burger. It is made with Wild Rice, Cremini Mushrooms, Miso, Garbanzo Beans and Flax Seeds. It comes with a Vegan Garlic Aioli, Pickled Red Onions, Arugula and Jalapenos. It also comes with a Napa Cabbage slaw tossed in a Sesame-Soy Vinaigrette. We have heard so many people say it’s the best vegan burger in the twin cities. Advellum is a truly unique chef driven experience but, in a fast casual food hall.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Restaurant Impossible Podcast.
Growing Edge Leadership coaching. South Minneapolis
Also, we just try to create a place where we would want to work. We love our staff, and we are very engaged with them. Our number one asset is our staff, we have been able to create a healthy and supportive culture through daily interactions and conversations. This has been an extremely valuable way that we have grown our business.
Our friends in the Restaurant industry. Anytime we need advice or are stuck on what to do we go to them. They are one of the best resources we have.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.advellumvegetableeatery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/advellum_mn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/advellum/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/advellum?lang=da
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/advellum-vegetable-eatery-minneapolis
Image Credits
Viorica Shaughnessy
Megan Stezkae
